• Nexon, NHN profits climb as Krafton stumbles in Q3 AJP Factbox: Nexon Q3 2026 operating profit rises 11% on MapleStory AJP Factbox: NHN posts record quarterly profit as of Q3 2026 AJP Factbox: Krafton Q3 2026 operating profit falls 35.5%
• Seoul approves expanded Cheonghae Unit mission near Oman SEOUL, November 10 (AJP) - South Korea's Cabinet approved a proposal to expand the Navy's Cheonghae Unit operations to waters south of Oman on Tuesday, bringing the planned deployment of additional maritime patrol aircraft and mine-clearing capabilities closer to parliamentary approval.
• S. Korea to boost special forces gear ahead of OPCON transfer SEOUL, November 10 (AJP) - South Korea plans to increase purchases of infiltration equipment for its Army special forces by more than 16 times next year as part of efforts to strengthen independent operational capabilities ahead of the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) from the United States.
• Korea to extend growth above 3% 2027: KIF SEOUL, November 10 (AJP) — South Korea's economy is forecast to grow 3.1 percent in 2027, sustaining chip-led growth above 3 percent for a second straight year a think tank said Tuesday.
• Korea's Lee urges bipartisan outreach after midterms SEOUL, November 10 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday called for stronger bipartisan cooperation with the U.S. Congress and closer monitoring of financial markets, warning that changes in Washington following last week's midterm elections could affect South Korea's economy and foreign policy.
• Chip boom lifts Korea's minority shareholder tally 24% SEOUL, November 10 (AJP) — Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, South Korea's two chipmaking giants, led a 24.2 percent surge in minority shareholder counts across the country's listed companies over 18 months, even as most firms lost investors.

AJP Briefing>

• KOSPI recovers on US tech rally, ending 3-day slide SEOUL, November 10 (AJP) - South Korean stocks surged more than 4 percent on Tuesday as foreign investors returned to the market after seven consecutive sessions of selling. The benchmark KOSPI rose 4.39 percent to close at 5,239.13. Foreign investors bought 407 billion won (US$305 million) worth of shares, as institutions purchased 477.1 billion won. Retail investors sold 1.37 trillion won, taking profits following the sharp rebound. The index briefly climbed above 5,300 in early trading, tr
• Chip rebound lifts KOSPI over 5%, triggers buying curbs SEOUL, November 10 (AJP) — South Korean shares swung up more than 5 percent in early trading Tuesday, reclaiming 5,200 as a Wall Street semiconductor rally propelled Korea’s two chip giants sharply higher. Five-minute buy-side program trading halts were triggered in both the KOSPI and KOSDAQ markets. The benchmark KOSPI climbed 5.18 percent to 5,278.95 as of 9:24 a.m., recovering sharply from Monday’s close of 5,018.85. It opened 4.55 percent higher at 5,247.22 and briefly rea

AJP ScaleUP

• Semiconductor parts maker makes roller-coaster KOSDAQ debut SEOUL, November 10 (AJP) - Semiconductor parts maker Dongwon Parts more than doubled its initial public offering (IPO) price on its KOSDAQ debut on Tuesday before giving up most of its gains later in the session. Shares closed at 29,400 won (US$21), up 10.94 percent from their IPO price of 26,500 won. The stock opened at 51,100 won and surged as high as 57,300 won, more than double its offering price, before giving up most of its gains. The sharp reversal came as investors took profits follow
• Alteogen plunges 14% on US drug pricing, patent fears SEOUL, November 9 (AJP) — Shares of South Korean biotechnology company Alteogen plunged more than 14 percent on Monday as investors worried that new U.S. drug pricing rules and a European patent dispute could threaten its future royalty revenue. The stock fell as much as 23.94 percent to 152,500 won ($112.64) before recovering to 169,000 won as of 3:11 p.m., down 15.71 percent from Friday's close of 200,500 won, according to the Korea Exchange (KRX). Alteogen develops technology that

ASIA Insight

• Experts advise Seoul safeguards over blanket teen social media ban This is the second installment in an AJP series bringing together international perspectives as Seoul weighs age limits and other restrictions on minors’ access to social media. SEOUL, November 10 (AJP) - As South Korea prepares to build public consensus on the scope and means of regulating minors’ access to social media, international experts urge a careful balance between freedom of expression and safeguards against harm. The Korea Media and Communications Commission plans to sur by Lee Jung-woo
• Won defies stock selloff as export dollars offer support SEOUL, November 9 (AJP) — South Korea’s won strengthened alongside the Japanese yen Monday despite continued foreign selling of Korean equities as exporters’ dollar conversions helped cushion the currency against concerns over slowing AI investment. The divergence reflects two different forces: stock investors are reassessing future semiconductor earnings, while exporters are still converting dollars earned from strong overseas sales. The won closed daytime trading at 1,347.1 by Kim Yeon-jae

AJP Watch

• AJP Review: Lost in K-beauty, found in translation SEOUL, November 10 (AJP) - Beauty shopping has become something of a ritual for visitors to South Korea, whether they arrive with a skincare shopping list or barely enough Korean to say hello. So AJP stepped into the K-beauty world of Olive Young as a pretend first-timer, armed with a smartphone, the Papago translation app and no particular expertise in cosmetics. The first Korean label refused to cooperate. The second translated in seconds. The difference wasn’t my Korean, which I was
• The no-sweat Namsan: A hiking guide in which nobody hikes SEOUL, November 06 (AJP) - One bus, three snacks, a churro, and a fortune about a crate of liquor. AJP takes the introvert's route up Seoul's favorite mountain. This is a hiking guide in which no hiking takes place. Namsan, the 265-meter peak in the middle of Seoul, is on every visitor's list, and in crisp late autumn it fully deserves its place. But you don't need boots, a training plan or a single conversation with a stranger to reach the top. You need a transit card, a bus t

AJP Focus

• More talk, little progress on Korea's sovereign AI SEOUL, November 10 (AJP) - Another alliance to advance South Korea's sovereign AI ambitions was announced Monday, adding to a growing roster of partnerships that have yet to deliver a clear breakthrough 17 months into the national push. This time, the partners are Nvidia, SK Telecom and Korean chip startup Rebellions. Their agreement at Nvidia AI Day Seoul will connect Rebellions' Rebel R200 neural processing unit (NPU) to Nvidia's platform through its NVLink Fusion technology. SK T
• Data center reckoning: A blessing in disguise for Korean chipmakers? SEOUL, November 09 (AJP) - The foreign flight from Korean chip stocks over fears of slower U.S. data center construction need not spell the end of the AI fairy tale since power constraints unsettling investors could instead reward Korean chipmakers’ years of investment in energy efficiency, according to a semiconductor expert. Investors risk equating fewer new data centers with fewer memory orders, overlooking demand for upgrades at existing facilities, said Lee Jong-hwan, a professor of