South Korea

South Korea's benchmark KOSPI index tumbled as much as 5% in panic selling, triggering the exchange's 'sidecar' circuit breaker, as fears over the pace of artificial intelligence spending hit chipmakers and other tech stocks.

South Korea's KOSPI index staged a record-setting rally, reportedly jumping about 18%, as a global technology rebound and optimism over sustained artificial intelligence spending lifted the country's chip-heavy market.

South Korea's consumer inflation eased to a three-month low of 2.8% in July on falling oil prices, coming in below expectations, though policymakers remain wary of price pressures and markets have not ruled out another rate hike.

South Korea's exports rose about 63% in July to $98.9 billion, the second-highest monthly total on record, as semiconductor shipments topped $40 billion for a second straight month amid the AI boom.

South Korea's GDP grew 0.6% in the second quarter, double some forecasts, as a surge in semiconductor exports offset weaker construction, putting annual growth near 3% and strengthening the case for further rate action.

South Korea's SK Hynix reported record quarterly operating profit driven by AI memory demand, but its shares fell as the figures fell short of the highest analyst estimates.

South Korea's stock market has led regional gains in 2026, buoyed by a semiconductor and artificial intelligence boom, though the won has come under pressure and profit-taking has capped some of the advance.

South Korea's benchmark Kospi index plunged about 10.8% on July 28, triggering a market-wide circuit breaker, as a global retreat from semiconductor stocks battered heavyweights Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.

The Bank of Korea raised its benchmark rate to 2.75%, its first hike in three and a half years, and flagged further increases as inflation, housing prices and household debt stay elevated, jolting Korean stocks.

The Bank of Korea raised its benchmark base rate by 25 basis points to 2.75% in mid-July, reversing part of its earlier easing as it moves to contain household debt, frothy asset prices and currency pressures.

The Bank of Korea lifted its benchmark rate by a quarter point to 2.75%, its first increase since early 2023, as a semiconductor-led growth surge and housing and inflation risks tilted the central bank toward tightening.

South Korea's GDP expanded 0.6% in the second quarter from the previous three months, outpacing expectations as a semiconductor export surge offset weaker construction investment and oil-price volatility.

South Korea's central bank raised its benchmark rate by 25 basis points to 2.75% in a unanimous vote, its first increase in three and a half years, citing persistent inflation, rising household debt and climbing Seoul-area house prices.

South Korea's Kospi jumped 3.56% to 6,747.95 on July 21, recovering from a sharp semiconductor-driven selloff, as data showed exports surging in early July on booming AI chip demand and after the central bank raised rates to 2.75%.

The Bank of Korea raised its benchmark rate by a quarter point to 2.75%, its first increase since early 2023, and signaled more tightening could follow as inflation, housing prices and household debt stay elevated.

The Bank of Korea lifted its benchmark rate by a quarter point to 2.75% on July 16, its first increase since January 2023, and signalled further tightening as inflation, housing prices and household debt stay elevated.

The South Korean won has surged more than 4% in July, leading global currency gains, after the Bank of Korea raised interest rates for the first time since 2023 and large dollar inflows lifted the currency.

The Bank of Korea lifted its benchmark interest rate by a quarter point to 2.75%, its first hike in three and a half years, and signalled further increases could follow as inflation, housing prices and household debt stay elevated.

The Bank of Korea lifted its benchmark rate by a quarter point to 2.75% on July 16, its first hike since January 2023, and signalled further increases could follow as inflation, housing prices and household debt run hot.

South Korea's central bank lifted its base rate by 25 basis points to 2.75%, its first increase since early 2023, aiming to support a weak won and anchor inflation expectations.

SK Hynix shares jumped more than 8% in Seoul, leading a broad Asian technology rally, after wild swings tied to its record US listing and worries about an overheated AI trade rattled markets earlier in the week.

SK Hynix shares fell more than 15% in Seoul following the chipmaker's strong US listing debut, pulling South Korea's Kospi index down almost 9% as investors booked profits on AI memory chip stocks.

South Korea's SK Hynix raised about $26.5 billion in its Nasdaq debut, the biggest US listing ever by a foreign company, as investors piled into the AI memory-chip trade.

South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix opened at $170 on the Nasdaq, rising about 14% on its first day, after pricing American depositary receipts at $149 and raising $26.5 billion for factory expansion.

South Korea's 10-year government bond yield has climbed toward its highest since 2023 as an AI-driven boom and sticky inflation fuel expectations of Bank of Korea rate hikes, even as the bank remains formally in an easing cycle.

Bank of Korea Governor Shin Hyun Song told parliament that interest rates will need to rise at an appropriate time, reinforcing a hawkish stance a week before a widely expected rate decision.

Samsung Electronics estimated a record operating profit of about 89.4 trillion won for the second quarter, up nearly 19-fold on the AI-driven memory-chip recovery, though its shares fell as revenue narrowly missed forecasts.

South Korea's Kospi fell almost 5% as investors grew cautious about the sustainability of the semiconductor rally, shrugging off Samsung Electronics' record quarterly earnings after a brokerage flagged fading momentum.

Bank of Korea Governor Shin Hyun Song presented the central bank's work on a digital 'unified ledger', drawing on its Project Hangang experiments, at the European Central Bank's annual central banking forum.

South Korea's consumer prices rose 3.2% year-on-year in June, up slightly from 3.1% in May, suggesting that the recent cooling in inflation has stalled and price pressures remain above the 3% mark.

South Korea's Kospi plunged nearly 8% on a semiconductor selloff led by Samsung and SK Hynix, then rebounded almost 6% the next session, highlighting how concentrated the market has become in two chip giants.

South Korea's Kospi swung violently at the start of July, plunging nearly 8% on an AI-driven chip selloff before rebounding almost 6%, while June inflation accelerated to 3.2%, the highest since late 2023.

South Korea's Kospi index surged about 5% to a record high on Friday, recovering from a sharp chip-led selloff earlier in the week, as softer US jobs data eased fears of higher interest rates.

South Korea's exports surged 70.9% in June to a record $102.25 billion, surpassing $100 billion for the first time, driven by an artificial intelligence investment boom that nearly tripled semiconductor shipments.

South Korea's DB Insurance has completed its $1.65 billion acquisition of US specialty insurer The Fortegra Group, the largest-ever purchase of a US insurer by a Korean non-life carrier. The deal — which closed on May 29 and was reaffirmed in late June filings by sellers Tiptree and Warburg Pincus — establishes a playbook for Asian carrier expansion into US specialty markets and signals growing Korean and Japanese insurer appetite for global growth.

South Korea's DB Insurance has completed its $1.65 billion acquisition of Jacksonville-based specialty insurer The Fortegra Group, the largest-ever purchase of a US insurer by a Korean non-life carrier. The deal, closed in late May, was confirmed by sellers Tiptree and Warburg Pincus and positions DB Insurance to expand across US, European, UK, and Asian specialty insurance markets as it pursues its goal of becoming a leading global insurer by 2033.

South Korea's DB Insurance has completed its $1.65 billion acquisition of The Fortegra Group, the largest-ever purchase of a US insurer by a Korean non-life carrier. Sellers Tiptree and Warburg Pincus confirmed the successful closing, with Fortegra to operate independently as a wholly owned subsidiary. The deal, which establishes a playbook for Korean carrier expansion into US specialty markets, was a notable highlight in a generally active insurance M&A environment.

South Korea's DB Insurance has finalized its $1.65 billion acquisition of The Fortegra Group, marking the largest purchase of a US insurer by a Korean non-life carrier in history. The deal closed on May 29, 2026, after receiving all required regulatory and stockholder approvals, with Fortegra set to operate independently under DB Insurance's global expansion strategy.