• Samsung, SK pamper Nvidia's Huang in New York SEOUL, September 29 (AJP) -That South Korea’s chip titans and Nvidia are buddies — and codependents — is no secret. So when their customer/friend/indispensable business partner received an award for contributing to Korea-U.S. relations, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix vied to pamper Jensen Huang.
• MBK chairman to repay Homeplus rescue loan in full SEOUL, September 29 (AJP) - MBK Partners Chairman Kim Byung-ju will repay in full the 66.4 billion won ($48.9 million) emergency loan he personally guaranteed for Homeplus, the buyout firm said Tuesday.
• Seoul insists Ukraine requested POW secrecy SEOUL, September 29 (AJP) - Ukraine had asked South Korea to keep the transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers secret, the South Korean government reiterated Tuesday.
• Samsung joins AI data center gold rush with $1 billion Helix bet SEOUL, September 29 (AJP) -Samsung Group has joined the global AI data center gold rush by pledging $1 billion to infrastructure company Helix, expanding the South Korean chip powerhouse’s ambitions from supplying semiconductors to building and powering the facilities that run artificial intelligence.
• Zelensky claims 10,000 North Korean troops to join 8,000 in Russia SEOUL, September 29 (AJP) -More than 8,000 North Korean troops are currently on Russian territory and another 10,000 are being trained for deployment, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed Monday in a national address.
• Lee urges faster nuclear submarine, hypersonic missile push SEOUL, September 29 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday called for faster development of nuclear-powered submarines and hypersonic missiles, while ordering a probe into last week's DMZ mine blast.

AJP Briefing>

• Foreign selling keeps KOSPI lower despite chip rebound SEOUL, September 29 (AJP) - South Korea's benchmark index remained below 6,900 Tuesday morning as foreign investors sold more than 1 trillion won ($762 million) of shares, offsetting gains in Samsung Electronics and other chip stocks. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) stood at 6,859.59 as of 11:15 a.m., down 30.15 points, or 0.44 percent, from Monday's close. The index moved between 6,822.36 and 6,898.36 during the morning session. The KOSPI had fallen 2.7 percent Monday t
• Banks in South Korea to open at 9:30 a.m. from April 2027 SEOUL, September 29 (AJP) — South Korean banks are set to open 30 minutes later from April 2027, with branch hours changing from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. under a tentative agreement between the Korea Financial Industry Union (KFIU) and the Korea Financial Industry Employers Association. The deal, reached after about five months of negotiations, also includes a 3 percent wage increase and measures aimed at improving work-life balance. It comes as the government pushes to red

AJP ScaleUP

• NEX-I files for KOSDAQ IPO to raise up to 65 billion won SEOUL, September 28 (AJP) - South Korean cancer drug developer NEX-I has submitted a regulatory filing for a KOSDAQ listing, seeking to raise up to 65 billion won ($47.8 million) through an initial public offering (IPO). The company plans to offer 5 million shares at a proposed price range of 10,500 won to 13,000 won apiece, putting the total offering at between 52.5 billion won and 65 billion won. Korea Investment & Securities is the lead underwriter. Founded in 2021, NEX-I develops antib
• Wiseplanet jumps nearly fourfold on KOSDAQ debut SEOUL, September 23 (AJP) - South Korean consumer brand company Wiseplanet Company surged more than 270 percent on its first day of trading on the KOSDAQ Wednesday, after strong demand from institutional and retail investors ahead of its listing. Shares traded at 45,150 won ($33.2) as of 4:55 p.m., up 276.25 percent from the initial public offering price of 12,000 won. The stock opened at 42,750 won and rose as high as 48,000 won during the session before paring some gains. Wiseplanet had earl

ASIA Insight

• Korea's mortgage bomb ticks as market rates surge SEOUL, September 29 (AJP) — Rapidly rising mortgage rates as domestic markets track a surge in U.S. Treasury yields are unnerving South Korean borrowers carrying more than $850 billion in housing debt and complicating the central bank’s fight against renewed inflationary pressure. Mortgage loans stood at 1,190.8 trillion won ($852 billion) at the end of June, accounting for about 63 percent of the country’s 1,891.3 trillion won in outstanding household loans, according to Bank by Kim Yeon-jae
• When history becomes a movie, what do viewers believe? SEOUL, September 28 (AJP) - A South Korean title has returned to the top of the box-office rankings after a lengthy run by “Odyssey” and could become a social hot potato. “The Assassin(s),” directed by Hur Jin-ho, drew about 1.41 million moviegoers during the four-day holiday from Sept. 24 to 27. Its cumulative audience reached 1.57 million by Sunday. The reviews told a more complicated story. Early Monday, the film held a 92 percent CGV Egg Index and an 8.6 by Joonha Yoo

AJP Watch

• When ads stop looking like ads SEOUL, September 29 (AJP) - The digital wave has torn down the fence between advertising and entertainment in South Korea. Banks produce web dramas and variety shows. Retailers try short-form comedy. Brands commission songs and music videos, and even create their own idols. Construction companies are joining in, seeking an audience that can swipe past a conventional ad in seconds. As viewing shifts toward streaming services and algorithm-driven feeds, brands are no longer simply buying space
• Why buy when you can subscribe to the whole living room? SEOUL, September 28 (AJP) - Wedding season has long been a peak period for South Korea’s white-goods makers since couples traditionally purchase their first major appliances with money from their dowries or savings. But as consumer habits change, manufacturers are trying to build relationships that extend beyond the initial sale. “I think this may be a first — holding a media event solely for a service, without a product,” Lim Sung-taek, vice president and head of Samsu

AJP Focus

• Samsung Q3 income to top $70 bn: consensus SEOUL, September 29 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics is expected to extend its milestone-setting earnings streak in the quarter ended September, eyeing a three-month operating profit of more than 100 trillion won ($70 billion) as the global memory boom rolls on. A recent one-month consensus compiled by financial data provider FnGuide puts July-September operating profit at around 106 trillion won, topping the previous quarterly record of 89.5 trillion won set just three months earlier. Revenue is pr
• South Korea's unequal starting lines for love and connection SEOUL, September 28 (AJP) - Young South Koreans are becoming more homebound and even reclusive, and a new study points to an educational divide in their social connections in a society still heavily preoccupied with university diplomas. Young adults without a four-year university education and those from outside Seoul showed weaker social connections across several measures, according to a National Assembly Futures Institute (NAFI) study based on a nationwide survey of 5,185 people aged 19 to 3