• KRX's longer hours may mean a longer grind for retail investors SEOUL, September 14 (AJP) — Seoul's stock market now stretches from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. as the Korea Exchange (KRX) moves to compete with privately run Nextrade, or NXT, giving retail investors more time to trade — and potentially more hours to watch, worry and wager on stocks.
• LG bets on home-grown AI with factory-floor data edge SEOUL, September 14 (AJP) - South Korea's LG Group is preparing to put its homegrown artificial intelligence to work across production lines stretching from hair-loss materials research to home appliances, betting that industrial know-how can matter as much as sheer computing power.
• Interim coach unveils 1st roster for upcoming friendlies SEOUL, September 14 (AJP) - South Korea's new head coach Robert Moreno on Monday unveiled a 30-man roster for a series of football friendlies scheduled for later this month and early October.
• Korea boosts meat supply to fight Chuseok inflation SEOUL, September 14 (AJP) - Beef, pork and egg supplies will be sharply increased before the Chuseok holiday as South Korea seeks to contain prices ahead of one of the country's biggest family gatherings.
• LG Chem pushes into China's chip cleaning materials market SEOUL, September 14 (AJP) - LG Chem has agreed to supply a Chinese specialty chemicals maker with the raw material for an ultra-high-purity solvent used to clean semiconductor wafers.
• Tokayev arrives for summit as Kazakhstan eyes AI and minerals deals SEOUL, September 14 (AJP) - Kazakhstan will press South Korea this week to widen a partnership built largely on car plants into artificial intelligence, data infrastructure and processed critical minerals, an agenda President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev carried into Seoul on Monday at the start of a state visit.

AJP Briefing

• Samsung, LG to pay suppliers 1.9 trillion won early ahead of Chuseok SEOUL, September 14 (AJP) - South Korea's Samsung and LG will make a combined 1.9 trillion won ($1.4 billion) in early payments to suppliers ahead of the Chuseok holiday, seeking to ease cash-flow pressures on smaller business partners during a period of increased funding needs. Samsung said Monday that 13 affiliates, including Samsung Electronics, Samsung C&T and Samsung Biologics, will pay a combined 1.3 trillion won to suppliers about seven days earlier than scheduled. The amount
• Korea seeks new marine construction technologies for field trials SEOUL, September 14 (AJP) - South Korea will open applications for new marine construction technologies to be tested at actual project sites, aiming to help promising technologies prove their performance and expand their use in the field. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said Monday it will accept applications from Sept. 15 through Nov. 13 for new domestic technologies and patents to receive support under its trial construction program. The program gives technologies that have not yet bee

AJP ScaleUP

• DTS begins KOSDAQ IPO process SEOUL, September 14 (AJP) - South Korean thermal solutions company DTS has begun the initial public offering (IPO) process for a KOSDAQ listing after filing a securities registration statement with the Financial Services Commission (FSC), the company said Monday. DTS plans to offer 2,228,917 initial shares at a proposed price range of 17,000 won to 18,500 won each. The deal is expected to raise between 37.9 billion won ($28.2 million) and 41.2 billion won ($30.6 million). Institutional bookbu
• HUINNO passes technology review for KOSDAQ IPO SEOUL, September 14 (AJP) - South Korean digital health company HUINNO has passed a technology review required for a special KOSDAQ listing, moving its initial public offering (IPO) process to the next stage. The company said Monday it received an A rating and a BBB rating from two evaluation agencies designated by the Korea Exchange (KRX), meeting the technology requirement for the listing route. HUINNO develops artificial intelligence (AI)-based medical technology, including wearable systems

ASIA Insight

• Korean Gen Z takes to streets to protest U.S. call for Hormuz support SEOUL, September 12 (AJP) - On most Saturdays, Gwanghwamun Square belongs to tourists, families, street performers and the assortment of political groups that regularly claim a patch of downtown Seoul for their causes. This Saturday brought another one: opposition to President Donald Trump’s repeated demands that South Korea help secure the Strait of Hormuz as the United States confronts Iran. Many in the crowd were not the veteran anti-American or progressive activists familiar from dem by Lee Jung-woo
• In Korea's delivery republic, gratitude comes without the tip SEOUL, September 11 (AJP) - Any homebody knows the small thrill — the doorbell, footsteps outside and finally the arrival of dinner, groceries or the sneakers you have been waiting weeks for. In South Korea's delivery republic, that moment is woven deeply into everyday life. Increasingly, some customers are finding small ways to acknowledge the people who make it possible, whether through an iced drink, a snack, an extra meal or simply a note saying thank you and ride safely. The ges by Ryu Yuna

AJP Watch

• AI music can make the charts. Can it win fans? SEOUL, September 14 (AJP) - Pitchfork, one of America's best-known music publications, does not hand out zeroes often. But in August, American rapper Tyga's "$TARFACE" got one. The album had already drawn attention after Tyga acknowledged using artificial intelligence as a production tool, including for 1980s-style synthesizers and guitar solos, while saying the lyrics and vocals remained his own. Pitchfork did not reject the album simply because AI was involved. Its critici
• Korean shamanism finds new life in pop culture SEOUL, September 11 (AJP) - Drums pound, bells shake and chants rise as a mudang, or Korean shaman, appears to slip between worlds, communicating with spirits through an electrifying ritual of music, dance and trance. For millions of moviegoers, the spectacle became familiar through a famous gut scene in director Jang Jae-hyun's 2024 occult blockbuster "Exhuma." Gut, an ancient Korean shamanic ritual performed to communicate with spirits, comfort the dead, seek blessings or ward

AJP Focus

• Korea bond curve flattens as front-end yields hit multi-year highs SEOUL, Sept. 14 (AJP) — South Korea's government bond curve flattened further Monday as front-end yields climbed to multi-year highs while longer maturities retreated, sharpening expectations for a higher-for-longer tightening path ahead of this week's Federal Reserve and Bank of Japan meetings. The two-year Korean government bond yield ended at 3.932 percent and the three-year at 4.025 percent, their highest levels since Nov. 1, 2023. Longer maturities pulled back from Friday
• AI comes at a price: $3,000 for a phone SEOUL, September 11 (AJP) - Apple is ready for a strong comeback after losing loyal Korean consumers to Samsung's foldables, with the iPhone's first foldable form rolling out across Korea on Oct. 23. The appeal to lure back long-term iPhone users is apparent, if form had been the sole put-off. The sole damper is the starting price tag of 3.29 million won for the entry-level 256-gigabyte model and 5.09 million won for the top-end 2-terabyte iPhone Duo. Apple has again set the bar by pus