• Buzz builds ahead of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's Seoul visit SEOUL, June 2 (AJP) - Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is visiting Seoul this week, and his trip is already generating buzz across local industries and financial markets, with major deals expected across areas including memory chips and artificial intelligence (AI).
• KOSPI ekes out gains as rally extends beyond tech giants SEOUL, June 2 (AJP) - South Korea's benchmark KOSPI edged to another record close on Tuesday, finishing slightly higher in a session whose flat headline masked one of the most dramatic shifts of the year. The index closed at around 8,799 points, up 0.1 percent, after having fallen more than 1 percent around midday on oil-price nerves before clawing the entire loss back by the close.
• UPDATE: Korea-Africa Business Forum highlights growing strategic partnership SEOUL, June 02 (AJP) -South Korea hosted a large-scale business forum with African countries on the sidelines of a summit conference at a time global commodity market is being reshaped from the prolonged conflicts in the Gulf. The 2026 Korea-Africa Business Forum was held Tuesday at Lotte Hotel Seoul in central Seoul, bringing together about 300 government officials, diplomats and business leaders.
• K-BBQ draws fresh attention as Jensen Huang's Seoul dinner plan puts samgyeopsal in spotlight SEOUL, June 02 (AJP) - Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s reported plan to visit a Samgyeopsal (pork belly) restaurant, a staple of Korean barbecue (K-BBQ), during his upcoming trip to Seoul has turned a casual dinner itinerary into a cultural talking point, putting the charcoal-grilled pork menu back in the spotlight as one of South Korea's most visible dining experiences for foreign visitors.
• UPDATE: Korea's May inflation hits 26-mo high, hastening hike agenda Gas prices are displayed at a gas station in Seoul on March 27, 2026, after the second petroleum price cap was implemented. Yonhap. *Updated with additional information and market response. SEOUL, June 02 (AJP) - South Korea's inflation accelerated by the fastest pace in 26 months to run above 3 percent in May as energy shocks from prolonged Gulf conflicts pushed up prices from fueling to service c
• Songzio and Heliot Emil reunite for falconry-inspired collection SEOUL, June 02 (AJP) - South Korean designer label Songzio, whose designs recently took center stage during BTS's "ARIRANG" comeback performance in March, has collaborated once again with Copenhagen-based fashion brand Heliot Emil on a new collection inspired by falconry.

AJP Briefing

• Korea sees 80% of summer crude secured as Mideast war strains supply SEOUL, June 02 (AJP) - South Korea expects to secure most of the crude oil it needs for August by next month, the energy minister said, seeking to quell fears of a supply crunch as the Middle East war drags into its fourth month. Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan told a cabinet meeting chaired by President Lee Jae Myung that projected August crude volumes were climbing steadily and would reach the mid-80 percent range of normal levels during July, the 95th day of the conflict. From May to July,
• Hana Asset Management's four US index ETFs cross 1 trillion won in combined assets SEOUL, June 2 (AJP) - The combined net assets of Hana Asset Management's four U.S.-index exchange-traded funds have surpassed 1 trillion won, the company said on Tuesday. The fastest growth has come not from its plain index trackers, but from two bond-mixed products designed to take advantage of a 2023 revision to pension-account rules allowing investors to hold them at a full 100 percent allocation. The four funds held a combined 1.0431 trillion won (US$691 million) as of the end of last
• Police forward Gangnam Style rapper Psy to prosecution over illegal drug prescriptions SEOUL, June 02 (AJP) - South Korean police have referred Gangnam Style rapper Park Jae-sang, globally known as Psy, to prosecutors on charges of violating medical laws by using his staff to illegally obtain highly regulated prescription drugs. The case highlights South Korea's strict enforcement of regulations governing psychotropic medications. The 48-year-old singer is accused of bypassing mandatory face-to-face medical consultations to secure sleeping pills and anxiety medication over a

ASIA Insight

• ASIA DEEP INSIGHT: US Defense Chief speech in Singapore brings tough choices for Seoul The world is changing fast, and the recent defense meeting in Singapore proved it. United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke at the Shangri-La Dialogue, and his words carry a heavy message. For South Korea, sitting right between major global powers, his speech is a loud wake up call. The days of relying on a system where America promises to protect everyone without asking for much in return are officially over. Washington wants friends to pay more and do much more on their own. This new by Park Sae-jin
• Expanded World Cup brings new chances for Asia as South Korea looks beyond 11th straight berth SEOUL, June 1 (AJP) - This year's World Cup, now just over a week away, will be remembered as special for several reasons. It will be the first hosted by three countries in the quadrennial football extravaganza's history, spread across vast distances in North America and, most notably, the first to expand from 32 to 48 teams. For Asia, the number itself matters almost as much as the tournament. What once felt like a narrow gate to the sport's grandest stage has widened significantly by Lee Hugh

AJP Watch

• Shin's BOK signals active central bank intervention, putting monetary tightening and CBDC in spotlight SEOUL, June 02 (AJP) - The Bank of Korea (BOK) International Conference themed "Central Banks and the Future of Money," which ran from Monday to Tuesday, served as less of a purely academic event and more of a debut public stage highlighting the long-term vision of BOK Governor Shin Hyun-song. The central bank positioned staunch advocates of price and financial stability at the forefront while pitching a future monetary order centered around central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) as i
• Uzbekistan formalizes Termez Dialogue to anchor South Asian trade integration SEOUL, June 01 (AJP) - Uzbekistan is establishing the Termez Dialogue as a permanent interregional forum to anchor its expanding economic integration with South Asian consumer markets. The institutionalization marks a structural shift in Eurasian supply chains, transforming neighboring Afghanistan from a source of geopolitical instability into a primary commercial transit bridge. The policy evolution moves the region away from isolated cross-border trade toward a comprehensive model of economic
• Samsung's shipment of HBM4E samples seen as strategic move ahead of Jensen Huang's Seoul visit SEOUL, June 1 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics' shipment last week of next-generation High Bandwidth Memory 4E (HBM4E) samples is widely seen as a strategic overture to Nvidia, just ahead of chief executive Jensen Huang's visit to South Korea, multiple experts said. In a timed move, Samsung announced last Friday that it has begun shipping the industry's first 12-layer HBM4E samples to global customers. The rollout comes just days before Huang's upcoming visit to Seoul, following his

AJP Focus

• How shaved ice tells different stories across East Asia SEOUL, June 1 (AJP) - Shaved ice is a summer staple across Asia, but the same dessert has taken sharply different paths in South Korea, Japan and China. In South Korea, bingsu has become a luxury item, a social media prop and a marker of changing consumer habits. This summer, Four Seasons Hotel Seoul is selling its Jeju apple mango bingsu for 149,000 won, the highest price among major Seoul hotels. The Shilla Seoul charges 130,000 won for its signature apple mango bingsu at its lounge bar The L
• Early voting for local elections hits record high, but final turnout remains to be seen SEOUL, June 1 (AJP) - Early voting for South Korea's June 3 local elections wrapped up with a record-high turnout, fueling speculation that final turnout could surpass a previous record of 60.2 percent seen in the 2018 local elections, the highest level in nearly three decades. The National Election Commission (NEC) on Sunday said 10.49 million of the country's 44.64 million eligible voters cast ballots during the two-day early voting period held Friday and Saturday, for a turnout rate