• Coupang post-leak score: loss near $1.3 bn despite strong revenue SEOUL, November 04 (AJP) -Coupang, approaching the first anniversary of its reputation-damaging November 2025 data breach in South Korea, reported resilient sales and a growing customer base but struggled with mounting losses amid legal and lobbying spending to address a string of mishaps.
• Seoul appeals court upholds suspended sentence for Yoon SEOUL, November 4 (AJP) - An appeals court on Wednesday upheld a suspended prison sentence for disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol over false statements he made during his 2022 presidential campaign.
• Fewer "idle" youths in Korea but job barriers persist SEOUL, November 4 (AJP) —Fewer young South Koreans were classified as “idle” in August, but whether the decline meant they had entered the workforce remained unclear, government data showed Wednesday.
• SK hynix says US chip equipment license remains valid SEOUL, November 04 (AJP) - SK hynix said Wednesday it continues to bring U.S.-made semiconductor manufacturing equipment into its plant in Dalian, China, under an existing export license, while negotiations for next year's authorization remain underway.
• Seoul's forward USD book thins as KRW strengthens SEOUL, November 4 (AJP) —A surging won, lifted by exporters selling their dollars, gave Seoul authorities less reason to prop up its currency in September, and its forward dollar book shrank for the first time in eight months.
• Seoul launches AI agent project for military maintenance SEOUL, November 04 (AJP) - South Korea has launched a 30 billion won project to develop an AI system that predicts maintenance needs for military equipment, officials said Wednesday.

AJP Briefing>

• KOSPI rebounds, Asian markets diverge after US vote SEOUL, November 4 (AJP) — South Korean stocks recovered from a steep intraday slide to close higher Wednesday, while Japanese and Taiwanese shares fell and Chinese markets rallied amid U.S. election uncertainty and shifting sentiment toward artificial intelligence investment. The benchmark KOSPI gained 35.01 points, or 0.62 percent, to close at 5,683.80 after swinging between an intraday high of 5,828.13 and a low of 5,421.72. The index opened higher following an overnight rebound in U.S
• KOSPI slides as US midterms cloud outlook for chipmakers SEOUL, November 4 (AJP) - South Korean stocks reversed sharp opening gains on Wednesday morning as uncertainty over the U.S. midterm elections weighed on investor sentiment. The benchmark KOSPI fell 1.5 percent to 5,564.34 as of around 10:45 a.m., after trading between 5,546.89 and 5,828.13. Foreign investors sold a net 695 billion won worth of shares, while retail investors bought 372.2 billion won ($277 Million) and institutions followed with purchase of 196.9 billion won. The index had ope

AJP ScaleUP

• South Korean space firm Innospace joins defense offset list SEOUL, November 04 (AJP) - South Korean space company Innospace has become the first domestic firm to have its satellite launch service selected for a government program that encourages foreign defense contractors to use Korean products and services, the company said Tuesday. The selection means foreign companies selling weapons to South Korea could potentially use Innospace's launch service to meet their defense offset obligations. Under such arrangements, foreign defense suppliers are re
• Aei Robot sounds China alarm after Robot World win SEOUL, November 02 (AJP) - South Korean humanoid developer Aei Robot won a top prize at Robot World 2026 for its Alice 5 robot and warned that Chinese machines already hold more than 95 percent of the global humanoid market, the company said Monday. Alice 5 was named one of 10 Vanguard winners, the award's highest tier, at the exhibition running Wednesday to Friday at KINTEX in Goyang, just outside Seoul. Judges weighed technical innovation, readiness for industrial use and originality, an

ASIA Insight

• Chinese robots steal the Seoul show, Korea's work offstage SEOUL, November 04 (AJP) - China came to Robo World 2026 to show what its robots can do. South Korea came to show what its robots will keep doing, hour after hour, on factory floors no crowd will ever see. Three Unitree G1 humanoids danced in step to "Abracadabra" by K-pop group Brown Eyed Girls, while a Unitree robot dog wandered between booths. Service robots with holographic displays and small screens rolled through the aisles. At Rainbow Robotics' booth, HUBO, the Einstein-fa by Kim Dong-young
• AJP On-site: Life in a border village where even lunch requires military clearance PAJU, South Korea, November 3 (AJP) — Getting a table at a restaurant in this South Korean village takes more than a reservation. You must first submit your name, the names of everyone traveling with you and your car's license plate number for military clearance. Only after the restaurant confirms that the information has been submitted can the journey begin. Google Maps is of little help. The restaurant sends its own directions because the navigation service does not provide routes by Kim Hee-su and Joonha Yoo

AJP Watch

• South Korea gets new supercomputer to get back in race amid global AI boom SEOUL, November 3 (AJP) - The rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is often told as a story of chips and data centers, but underneath both lies a race for raw computing power that South Korea has just rejoined. Hangang, the country's sixth supercomputer, was switched on Monday at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI) in Daejeon. Its theoretical peak of 614 quadrillion calculations per second is 24 times that of Nurion, the 2018 machine it replaces. That f
• Seoul stocks stumble as record chip earnings fail to lift sentiment SEOUL, October 29 (AJP) - South Korea's stock market has turned bullish again, with renewed foreign buying and more than 90 trillion won (US$67.33 billion) in cash held in brokerage accounts raising hopes for a recovery. Yet the KOSPI slipped back below 6,000 on Thursday as retail investors remained wary of taking on more risk after last month's sharp selloff. The benchmark KOSPI closed 1.24 percent lower at 5,937.66 points on Thursday, a day after surging 6.63 percent to 6,012.44. The

AJP Focus

• Midterm shock: US-fueled datacenter boom faces political test SEOUL, November 04 (AJP) - AMD’s stellar third-quarter earnings and ambitious AI growth outlook position the fabless chipmaker as a formidable challenger to Nvidia, but the U.S. midterm upset for Republicans could slow the so-called “Wild West” expansion and send shockwaves through South Korean chipmakers. Decision Desk HQ projected Democrats would take control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate following Tuesday’s elections. In Texas, Democrat Gina Hino
• Korea's factory recovery broadens beyond chips – albeit uneven SEOUL, November 3 (AJP) — The AI revolution is moving at a speed that could make the Industrial Revolution look glacial. In South Korea, its shock waves are beginning to reach factory floors beyond the semiconductor cleanrooms that have long powered the country's industrial growth. Chips remain a pillar of Korean manufacturing and exports, but the AI investment boom is beginning to lift production in other industries. The spillover is becoming more visible, although the recovery remai