Korea News
South Korea Tax Disparity: 49.5% Income Tax vs Minimal Levies on Real Estate Gains Fuels Policy Debate
South Korean political debate highlights a tax code disparity โ 49.5% marginal income tax for wage earners versus minimal effective rates on real estate capital gains โ with implications for Korean property markets.
Aug 5, 2026
๐ฐ๐ท South KoreaSouth Korea Market Snapshot: Top Traded Stocks and Key Economic Indicators โ August 4, 2026
South Korean equity markets saw active trading on August 4, 2026, with top-traded stock data and exchange rates reflecting institutional focus on semiconductor cycle positioning and won/USD dynamics.
Aug 5, 2026
๐ฐ๐ท South KoreaLigaChem Chairman Buys โฉ1.52B of Shares as Palantir Commercial Revenue Surges 150%
LigaChem Biosciences Chairman Kim Yong-ju purchased โฉ1.52 billion of company shares citing long-term ADC platform conviction, as Palantir commercial revenue reportedly surged 150%
Aug 5, 2026
๐ฐ๐ท South KoreaSamyang Packaging H1 2026 Operating Profit Surges 40.9% to โฉ17.5B on PET Demand and Cost Efficiency
Samyang Packaging H1 2026 operating profit rose 40.9% to โฉ17.5 billion on 6% revenue growth to โฉ224.8 billion, with recycling business entering full market scale
Aug 5, 2026
๐ฐ๐ท South KoreaKorea Battery Makers Turn Profitable Q2 as EV Recovery + AI Demand Drive H2 Optimism
Korea's three major battery manufacturers all recorded profit in Q2 2026 as EV demand recovers in Europe and Asia after years of EV demand slowdown.
Aug 4, 2026
๐ฐ๐ท South KoreaKorea Raises Property Tax Exemption Threshold; US-Japan Yen Intervention Targets Dollar Bond Stability
Korea's Deputy PM announced raising the comprehensive real estate tax exemption from 1.2B to 1.4B KRW, benefiting most single-home owners.
Aug 4, 2026
๐ฐ๐ท South KoreaSouth Korea Targets Apartments Above 40 Billion Won with Heavy Tax Reform
South Korea's 2026 tax reform targets Seoul apartments priced above 40 billion won with higher property taxes
Aug 4, 2026
๐ฐ๐ท South KoreaKorea July Market Stress: 870B Won in Margin Calls, Yen at 40-Year Low, Apartment Supply Surges
Korea's July margin call volume exceeded 870 billion won as the KOSPI suffered back-to-back circuit breakers
Aug 4, 2026
๐ฐ๐ท South KoreaUS-Japan Yen Intervention First in 28 Years as $50-100B Operation Targets Disorderly Weakness
US and Japan conducted coordinated yen-buying FX intervention for first time since 1998 โ a 28-year gap
Aug 3, 2026
๐ฐ๐ท South KoreaKOSPI Cools 3.6% After Historic Rally as Samsung and SK Hynix Lead Profit-Taking
KOSPI opened 3.6% lower as Samsung shed 7.62% and SK Hynix fell 7.04% in profit-taking after historic July surge
Aug 3, 2026
๐ฐ๐ท South KoreaSamsung and SK Hynix Counter China's CXMT with Record R&D and 40 Trillion Won Capex Push
Samsung Electronics set a Q2 R&D record of 16 trillion won, targeting HBM4E (7th-gen) AI memory leadership to counter China's CXMT production expansion
Aug 3, 2026
๐ฐ๐ท South KoreaKorean Bank Mortgage Loans Hit 11-Month High as Seoul Housing Demand Defies Regulatory Tightening
South Korea's five largest banks recorded mortgage loan balances of 617.4 trillion won as of July 30, with monthly growth of 2.28 trillion won โ the largest increase in 11 months
Aug 3, 2026
๐ฐ๐ท South KoreaSeoul Apartments Worth โฉ3 Billion-Plus Surge in Transaction Volume as Songpa Overtakes Seocho in High-Value Trades
Seoul apartment transactions above โฉ3 billion surged, with Songpa-gu rising to second place in premium district rankings, overtaking Seocho-gu.
Aug 3, 2026
๐ฐ๐ท South KoreaKorean Retail Investors Lost โฉ49 Trillion in US Markets as Leveraged ETF Concentration Dominates Top Net Buys
Korean retail investors โ dubbed 'seohak-gaemi' (overseas ants) โ suffered an estimated โฉ49 trillion in losses from US-listed investments.
Aug 3, 2026
๐ฐ๐ท South KoreaK-Brands Accelerate Global Push: Lotte at UNESCO, Coupang Beauty Mag, Shinsegae China Blitz
Lotte Wellfood promoted K-snacks to 162-country delegates at the UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting in Busan
Aug 3, 2026
๐ฐ๐ท South KoreaSouth Korea Regulator Seeks Emergency Powers to Cap Single-Stock ETF Leverage
South Korea's financial regulator is pursuing emergency powers to directly cap leverage ratios on single-stock ETFs
Aug 3, 2026
๐ฐ๐ท South KoreaSouth Korea Fuel Prices Fall for 11th Straight Week as Nuclear Energy Diplomacy Advances
South Korean gasoline prices at the pump fell for an 11th consecutive week, tracking global crude oil weakness
Aug 3, 2026
๐ฐ๐ท South KoreaKorean Won Posts Biggest Monthly Rally Since Financial Crisis, Surging 8.8% in July
The Korean won surged 8.8% against the dollar in July, its strongest monthly appreciation since the 2008 financial crisis
Aug 3, 2026
๐ฐ๐ท South KoreaSouth Korea's Five Major Banks Post Biggest Mortgage Surge in 11 Months as Margin Buying Revives
South Korea's five largest banks recorded their biggest monthly mortgage loan increase in 11 months
Aug 3, 2026
๐ฐ๐ท South KoreaKorean Retail Investors Absorb โฉ50 Trillion Loss in U.S. Markets After Semiconductor Shock
Korean retail investors in US markets absorbed โฉ50 trillion ($36B) evaluation losses over two months after semiconductor shock
Aug 3, 2026
๐ฐ๐ท South KoreaKorea FTC Approves Korail-SR Rail Merger with 10% KTX Fare Cut Condition
Korea's Fair Trade Commission approved the merger of state rail operators Korail and SR
Aug 2, 2026
๐ฐ๐ท South KoreaSeoul Housing Ranks 2nd Globally as Korea Market Sees Historic Circuit Breakers
Seoul luxury housing ranked 2nd globally for price appreciation, deepening the wealth divide
Aug 2, 2026
๐ฐ๐ท South KoreaMissha Japan Amazon Prime Day Sales Jump 103% on K-Beauty Momentum
Missha's Japan Amazon Prime Day sales rose 103% year-over-year, with cushion refill products surging 226%.
Aug 2, 2026
๐ฐ๐ท South KoreaSeoul Top-5% Housing Hits World Rank 2 as Korea's Big-Five Banks Post 4 Trillion Won Monthly Loan Jump
Seoul's top 5% properties are world's second most expensive while South Korea's five largest banks posted 4 trillion won monthly household loan growth for two consecutive months despite government curbs.
Aug 2, 2026
๐ฐ๐ท South KoreaKorean Banks Offer Up to 12% Rates on Birth-Incentive Savings as AI Property Platforms Rise
Korean banks compete with 8-12% savings rates on family-linked birth-incentive products while AI real estate auction platforms modernize Korean property investment.
Aug 2, 2026
๐ฐ๐ท South KoreaSouth Korean Fashion Platform W์ปจ์ Runs 87% Clearance Sale While Expanding Maternity Benefits
Korean fashion ecommerce platform W์ปจ์ launches 87% season-end clearance across 90,000 products while expanding parental leave benefits.
Aug 2, 2026
๐ฐ๐ท South KoreaSeoul Hangang Riverside Redevelopment Stalls in Jayangdong as Rental Economics Outcompete Reconstruction
Seoul's Jayangdong Hangang riverside redevelopment collapsed within four months as landowners chose rental income over reconstruction economics, signaling pipeline friction in Korea's urban redevelopment cycle.
Aug 2, 2026
๐ฐ๐ท South KoreaAI Stock Selloff Triggers Historic KOSPI Decline as Dotcom-Era Parallels Emerge
AI stock unraveling triggers a historic KOSPI decline in South Korea, with dotcom-era parallels emerging as Samsung and SK Hynix face memory demand risk from potential AI infrastructure capex pullback.
Aug 2, 2026
๐ฐ๐ท South KoreaSouth Korea's Export Momentum Extends Into July as AI Chip Demand Strengthens Monetary Tightening Case
South Korea's AI-driven chip export boom is building the case for Bank of Korea monetary tightening, with economists revising rate forecasts as trade surpluses widen.
Aug 2, 2026
๐ฐ๐ท South KoreaSouth Korea's Won Surges 8% Against Dollar in July, Outperforming Every Major Currency
South Korea's won surged nearly 8% vs the dollar in July โ one of the world's best monthly currency performances โ driven by record trade surplus from the semiconductor export boom.
Aug 1, 2026