KRX eyes tiered system for Kosdaq

The Korea Exchange seeks to introduce a tiered system for the Kosdaq, drawing on Nasdaq's model to distinguish high-quality companies. The system could launch in the second half of next year at the earliest, pending companies' annual results. The KRX is considering dividing Kosdaq-listed firms into upper and lower tiers, financial industry sources said Friday. The upper tier, tentatively named the "Select Segment," would include companies meeting quantitative criteria, including financial perfor

Oct. 30, 2026

Seoul shares dip over 3% on tech sell-off amid AI concerns

South Korean shares dropped by more than 3 percent Friday, dragged down by a sell-off in semiconductor stocks amid lingering concerns over the sustainability of artificial intelligence investments. The Korean won strengthened against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 206.92 points, or 3.48 percent, to close at 5,730.74, after falling as low as 5,599.42. After opening nearly 3 percent lower, the KOSPI extended its losses, prompting the Korea Exchange to activate

Oct. 30, 2026

MBK's planned Golfzon County sale triggers dispute over deal terms

MBK Partners' plan to sell Golfzon County, a golf course operator and reservation platform, has sparked a dispute with second-largest shareholder Golfzon Holdings, which is challenging MBK's right to sell the business. On Tuesday, MBK signed a share purchase agreement with a consortium of The Sienna Group and Ciel Asset Management to sell its controlling stake in Golfzon County, valuing the company at about 1.8 trillion won ($1.35 billion). But the deal would also involve Golfzon selling its own

Oct. 30, 2026

Foreigners again sell Korean stocks in Sept.

Foreign investors again turned to net sellers of Korean stocks last month after snapping seven months of sell-offs in August amid extended geopolitical risks and woes over artificial intelligence (AI) profitability, data showed Friday. Offshore investors offloaded a net 19.11 trillion won ($14.25 billion) worth of local stocks last month, compared with a net purchase of 344 billion won the previous month, according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). Following their net sel

Oct. 30, 2026

KRX activates sell-side sidecar for KOSPI on sharp fall

South Korea's bourse operator on Friday activated a sell-side sidecar for the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index as the stock index plunged. Program trading for the KOSPI-listed shares was suspended for five minutes at 10:04 a.m., according to the Korea Exchange. After opening 2.99 percent lower, the KOSPI fell 277.75 points, or 4.68 percent, to 5,661.7 as of 10:06 a.m. The index came under downward pressure following overnight losses on Wall Street, as renewed concerns over the sustain

Oct. 30, 2026

Seoul stocks open lower on Wall Street losses, AI concerns

South Korean stocks opened lower Friday, tracking overnight losses on Wall Street, as renewed concerns over the sustainability of the artificial intelligence boom weighed on investor sentiment. After opening 2.99 percent lower, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index extended its earlier losses to trade lower 228.43 points, or 3.85 percent, to 5,709.23 as of 9:15 a.m. The index fell 1.24 percent in the previous session on profit-taking in heavyweight chip stocks, despite Samsung Electron

Oct. 30, 2026

Seoul stocks open lower on Wall Street losses, AI concerns

South Korean stocks opened lower Friday, tracking overnight losses on Wall Street, as renewed concerns over the sustainability of the artificial intelligence (AI) boom weighed on investor sentiment. After opening 2.99 percent lower, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) extended its earlier losses to trade lower 228.43 points, or 3.85 percent, to 5,709.23 as of 9:15 a.m. The index fell 1.24 percent in the previous session on profit-taking in heavyweight chip stocks, despite Sam

Oct. 30, 2026

Seoul shares down 1.24% as Samsung disappoints on shareholder returns

South Korean shares dropped 1.24 percent Thursday following Samsung Electronics' third-quarter earnings that slightly missed expectations and disappointed investors by providing no updates on its shareholder-return plan. The Korean won gained ground against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 74.78 points to close at 5,937.66, after rising as high as 6,100.11 On Wednesday, the KOSPI surged by more than 6 percent, led by a rally in chipmakers after SK hynix reporte

Oct. 29, 2026

Mirae Asset buys Japanese brokerage to break into retail market

Mirae Asset Securities is set to enter Japan's retail brokerage market through the acquisition of Sanko Securities, a Japanese brokerage owned by Okasan Securities Group, as the Korean financial firm expands its overseas business. Mirae Asset Securities said Thursday its board had approved the acquisition of Sanko through its US subsidiary, Mirae Asset Securities Holdings, for an estimated 47.6 billion won ($35.6 million). The company will inject 12 billion yen ($76.1 million) into the US subsid

Oct. 29, 2026

Nexroc says it alerted JYP before takeover announcement

Japanese investment group Nexroc said Thursday it had notified JYP Entertainment of its planned takeover talks before publicly announcing a potential tender offer, pushing back against concerns raised by South Korea's financial watchdog. "JYP was informed via email on October 21st about the upcoming negotiations," Nexroc told The Korea Herald. "We did not expect such scrutiny from a simple expression of interest press announcement," the company said, adding that it had contacted both JYP and the

Oct. 29, 2026

Mirae Asset to acquire Japanese brokerage Sanko

Mirae Asset Securities Co., a major South Korean securities firm, said Thursday it will acquire the Japanese brokerage Sanko Securities Co., in a drive to expand its presence in the Japanese financial sector. In a regulatory filing, Mirae Asset said its board has approved a plan to buy a 100-percent stake in Sanko Securities. The stake will be purchased by the company's US affiliate, Mirae Asset Securities Holdings, according to the filing. Mirae Asset said the acquisition was worth some 47.6 bi

Oct. 29, 2026

Seoul stocks open tad higher as Fed holds rates ahead of Samsung earnings report

South Korean stocks opened slightly higher Thursday, buoyed by the Federal Reserve's decision to hold interest rates steady and expectations for strong third-quarter earnings from Samsung Electronics amid robust memory chip demand. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 10.2 points, or 0.17 percent, to 6,022.64 as of 9:15 a.m., extending its rally after surging more than 6 percent in the previous session. Overnight, US stocks gained after the Federal Open Market Committee voted 10

Oct. 29, 2026

S. Korea accepts int'l arbitration in favor of Elliott in Samsung merger case

South Korea will accept an international arbitration ruling in favor of US hedge fund Elliott Investment Management over the 2015 merger of two Samsung affiliates, the justice ministry said Wednesday. The ministry decided not to file a suit seeking a cancellation of last month's ruling, which ordered South Korea to pay about 153 billion won ($114 million) in damages plus interest to Elliott. Elliott originally filed the case in 2018, seeking compensation over losses from the controversial merger

Oct. 28, 2026

Finance minister hopes for Bloomberg review of S. Korea's market status

South Korea's finance minister has said the country's classification as an emerging market in a Bloomberg bond index should be reviewed, citing its improved market access for foreign investors, the finance ministry said Wednesday. Finance Minister Lee Hyoung-il made the remarks during a meeting with Bing Li, head of Asia-Pacific at Bloomberg L.P., to discuss ways to cooperate on the development of South Korea's financial market. During the meeting, Lee said a review was needed to determine wheth

Oct. 28, 2026

S. Korean won sharply weakens against US dollar

The South Korean won sharply weakened against the US dollar Wednesday, as foreigners appeared to have purchased dollar futures and covered dollar-short positions. The won was quoted at 1,337.7 won per dollar at 3:30 p.m., down 14 won from the close of the previous stock trading session. At one point in afternoon trading, the won dropped to a low of 1,342.3 won per dollar. Although the US Federal Reserve is expected to leave its key policy rate unchanged this week, traders have been monitoring wh

Oct. 28, 2026