• Erdoğan calls July 15 resistance unparalleled in democratic history SEOUL, July 15 (AJP) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the popular resistance that defeated the July 15, 2016 coup attempt stands unmatched in the history of world democracy.
• Trump got $2 million from Korean firm facing US trade probe SEOUL, July 15 (AJP) - The lead investor in a South Korean aluminum company contesting U.S. trade penalties paid $2 million last year to a holding company owned by President Donald Trump, according to a New York Times.
• Korea's National Museum sees 7 million annual visitors after record H1 SEOUL, July 15 (AJP) —South Korea's National Museum is on pace for another record year as domestic and foreign visitors flock to one of the country's fastest-rising cultural landmarks.
• Hyundai-SK battery venture starts output at Georgia plant SEOUL, July 15 (AJP) - SK On and Hyundai Motor Group's battery joint venture has begun production at its northwest Georgia plant and started shipping electric-vehicle batteries to the automaker's flagship U.S. factory.
• Minimum wage set at 10,700 won for next year SEOUL, July 15 (AJP) - Next year's minimum wage in South Korea has been set at 10,700 South Korean won (about US$7) per hour after monthlong negotiations between workers and employers. A 27-member committee, with nine representatives each from workers, employers and government-appointed independent members, held a meeting in the administrative city of Sejong on Tuesday.
• Foreign shoppers fuel record first-half sales at South Korea's department stores SEOUL, July 15 (AJP) - Foreign tourists spent a record 1.72 trillion won ($1.24 billion) at South Korea's three largest department store chains in the first half of 2026, as inbound travelers broadened their spending from luxury goods to Korean fashion, beauty and dining.

AJP Briefing

• Seoul stocks soar as cooling U.S. inflation, chip optimism fuel broad rally SEOUL, July 15 (AJP) — South Korean stocks staged a powerful rebound Wednesday as softer-than-expected U.S. inflation and renewed optimism over the artificial intelligence semiconductor cycle triggered a broad-based buying spree led by SK hynix and Samsung Electronics. As of 9:57 a.m., the benchmark KOSPI surged 6.81 percent to 7,323.60, while the tech-heavy KOSDAQ jumped 5.39 percent to 826.24, recovering sharply after recent market volatility. The rally tracked overnight gains on Wall
• KOSPI makes modest recovery after sharp plunge, but KOSDAQ stays volatile SEOUL, July 14 (AJP) - South Korean stocks rebounded Tuesday after the previous session's steep selloff, although another sell-side sidecar on the junior KOSDAQ showed continued volatility in the local market. The benchmark KOSPI rose 49.90 points or 0.73 percent to close at 6,856.83. The modest gain followed another volatile session. The index opened 0.56 percent lower at 6,769.06, climbed to an intraday high of 6,979.92 and later fell to 6,448.86 before recovering into the close, a swing
• Tycoons' stock wealth falls 6 trln won without Samsung, SK chiefs SEOUL, July 14 (AJP) - The combined stock wealth of South Korea’s major business group chiefs jumped by more than 29 trillion won ($19.6 billion) in the second quarter, but the headline increase masked losses across most of the group as gains were overwhelmingly concentrated in Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won. Excluding Lee and Chey, the value of shares held by the remaining 44 group leaders fell by 5.97 trillion won, or 8.6 percent, between th
• Samsung wins eight Red Dot Design Awards, including two top honors SEOUL, July 14 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics said Monday it received eight awards, including two "Best of the Best" honors, in the Design Concept category at the Red Dot Design Award 2026, one of the world's major international design competitions. The company's top-winning entries were Samsung Home Appliances Accessories, a concept that uses color coding to help users identify how appliance consumables should be reused, recycled or disposed of, and Dremo & Minimo, an AI-pow

ASIA Insight

• Why Middle East conflict remains stuck after nearly five months SEOUL, July 13 (AJP) - About five months have passed, yet the end of the conflict in the Middle East remains nowhere in sight. Fighting has appeared close to stopping several times, only to break out again. Negotiations are underway, but renewed military clashes have left the prospects for a resolution increasingly uncertain. U.S. President Donald Trump continues to criticize Iran, calling it "scum," while Tehran has responded with increasingly hostile rhetoric. Even if an agreement i by Lee Hugh
• Türkiye's NATO moment arrives, but the price of trust remains unpaid SEOUL, July 09 (AJP) - For years, Türkiye occupied an uncomfortable place inside NATO: too important to expel, too difficult to embrace. It was the ally that bought a Russian air defense system over Washington’s objections. The country that refused to join Western sanctions against Moscow after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The state that could sell drones to Kyiv while keeping open channels to the Kremlin. The government whose president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, jaile by Lee Jung-woo

AJP Watch

• Home ownership becoming a pipe dream for young Korean SEOUL, July 14 (AJP) - Home ownership among young South Koreans has fallen at one of the fastest rates in recent years, underscoring how soaring housing costs are pushing ownership further out of reach even as the government expands housing support that remains largely centered on public rentals rather than ownership. An analysis of anonymized household microdata from the Survey of Household Finances and Living Conditions, reported by Munhwa Ilbo on July 13, showed that the owner-occupancy rate
• BOK dismisses peak concerns over chip cycle as AI demand still outpaces supply SEOUL, July 13 (AJP) - The Bank of Korea has dismissed concerns that the global semiconductor cycle has already peaked, saying investment in artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure is driving demand faster than manufacturers can expand supply. According to a report submitted to People Power Party (PPP) lawmaker Park Seong-hoon and released on Monday, the Bank of Korea (BOK) said the current semiconductor upcycle differs from previous ones because it is being driven by intense investment as

AJP Focus

• Homeplus goes dark, exposing the cost of Korea's biggest retail buyout SEOUL, July 14 (AJP) - Homeplus, once South Korea's second-largest hypermarket chain and a symbol of the country's modern retail boom, switched off the lights across its remaining stores on Monday after running out of cash, leaving roughly 12,000 employees, hundreds of suppliers and thousands of shopping mall tenants caught in what is becoming Korea's biggest retail collapse in decades. The nationwide shutdown marks the dramatic end of a company that once challenged E-mart for indus
• Gov't tightens household loans while mulling pension-backed borrowing options SEOUL, July 13 (AJP) - South Korea is tightening conventional household lending to contain debt growth while considering measures that could make it easier to borrow and invest against retirement savings, exposing a potential contradiction in its financial policy. One channel of household leverage is being restricted just as another could be opened. Household lending at the country's five largest banks - KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana, Woori and NH NongHyup - excluding government-backed loans r