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Banking & Finance

Hong Kong retail investors reel as SK hynix ETF swings turn painful

When Emily Yang, a 30-year-old office worker in Hong Kong, invested more than 100,000 Hong Kong dollars in a leveraged exchange-traded fund (ETF) linked to SK hynix in late June, she thought she was buying into one of the world's strongest artificial intelligence (AI) stories. Instead, within a week, nearly half of her investment had disappeared. "Everyone around me was talking about AI and how strong SK hynix's prospects were," Yang said. "Its memory technology looked more competitive than Samsung's, and the valuation didn't seem expensive considering its earnings growth. But now I really regret following the crowd." Now deeply underwater, Yang says she no longer knows what to do. "Selling now would mean locking in heavy losses, while averaging down feels too risky. All I can do is wait," she added. Yang is far from alone. A wave of retail enthusiasm over AI has turned leveraged products linked to Korea's largest chipmakers into one of Asia's hottest trades this year. At the center of the frenzy is the CSOP SK hynix Daily (2x) Leveraged Product, which briefly became the world's largest si

Jul 11, 2026By Yulu Ao
Hong Kong retail investors reel as SK hynix ETF swings turn painful
Others

Weak won, K-beauty fuel Chinese shopping trips, spending in Korea

When Chelsea Wang traveled to Seoul with two friends in late April, they barely visited any of the city's palaces or tourist attractions. Instead, their three-and-a-half-day itinerary revolved around duty-free shopping, beauty treatments, hair salons and cosmetics stores. Wang arrived with a shopping list of her own: a backpack she estimated would cost at least 500 yuan ($70) less than in China, and a bottle of perfume at a similar discount. One of her friends, surnamed Wu, a 28-year-old office worker from China who was preparing for marriage, had an even bigger purchase planned. After comparing prices, she bought a Chaumet wedding ring at Lotte Duty Free in central Seoul's Myeong-dong neighborhood for about 37,000 yuan, after figuring in discounts, tax refunds and favourable exchange rates — roughly 11,000 yuan less than she would have paid in China. "It was really quite a good deal," Wu said. Their purchases came as the Korean won has remained weak against major currencies over the past year. In June, 1 yuan was worth an average of about 226 won, compared with around 209 won in Januar

Jul 4, 2026By Yulu Ao
Weak won, K-beauty fuel Chinese shopping trips, spending in Korea
Companies

Chinese EV makers gain traction in Korea's import car market despite uphill battle

When Choi, a 35-year-old office worker living in Korea, started looking for her next car, she did not expect BYD, a Chinese electric vehicle (EV) brand, to make her shortlist. “I've wanted an electric vehicle, but domestic models are just too expensive,” Choi said, adding that rising fuel prices first sparked her interest in EVs. Her attention later turned to Chinese brands after reading about China's rapid adoption of EVs and how it helped cushion the country from recent oil-price shocks linked to the conflict in the Middle East. “I still have some biases against Chinese products, but with so many people driving them in China, I figured they can't just be cheap junk,” she said. “They’ve probably spent years developing the technology and gone through plenty of trial and error.” Choi’s case reflects a subtle shift underway: Chinese EV makers are stepping up their presence in Korea, one of the world’s most competitive automotive markets, and are now gaining traction. The push comes as Chinese-made vehicles overtook Japanese brands in Korea’s import market for the first t

Jun 30, 2026By Yulu Ao
Chinese EV makers gain traction in Korea's import car market despite uphill battle
Economy

Deglobalization calls for shift toward financial cooperation in East Asia: experts

SEOGWIPO, Jeju Island — As geopolitical tensions and trade fragmentation reshape the global economy, East Asia should look beyond trade-led integration and deepen financial cooperation to sustain regional growth, Korean economists and scholars said Thursday. Speaking at the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity, Kim So-young, professor at Seoul National University and former vice chairman of the Financial Services Commission, argued that the traditional trade-driven model underpinning East Asia's economic success has reached its limits as supply chains are increasingly reorganized along geopolitical lines. “One of the most interesting facts on finance is financial globalization is still going, but the trade integration is now somehow decreasing. We have to think about how to respond to these two different trends,” Kim said during a session of the forum titled “Deglobalization and East Asian Economic Cooperation.” Kim noted that global trade expanded rapidly from the 1990s until the 2008 global financial crisis, driven by the establishment of the World Trade Organization, China's

Jun 25, 2026By Yulu Ao
Deglobalization calls for shift toward financial cooperation in East Asia: experts
Foreign Affairs

Global forum leaders call for stronger cooperation amid growing fragmentation

SEOGWIPO, Jeju Island — Global forums must evolve from platforms for dialogue into drivers of practical cooperation as geopolitical tension, protectionism and technological disruption reshape the international landscape, speakers at the Jeju Forum said Wednesday. The session, titled “From Connection to Cooperation: How Global Forums Reinvent Collaboration in a Fragmented World,” brought together leaders of major international dialogue platforms from Asia and Europe to examine how forums can remain relevant amid growing global divisions. Zhang Jun, secretary-general of the Boao Forum for Asia and former Chinese ambassador to the United Nations, warned against the growing influence of unilateralism and protectionism, saying international forums have an important role to play in rebuilding trust and strengthening multilateralism. “We really need to keep high alert, (and) to make tough efforts to stop the further escalation and spreading of unilateralism and protectionism,” Zhang said. He also called for a more equitable global governance system that better reflects the rise of th

Jun 24, 2026By Yulu Ao
Global forum leaders call for stronger cooperation amid growing fragmentation
Tech & Science

Korea, China urged to deepen tech cooperation despite intensifying competition

Korea and China should seek deeper cooperation in emerging technologies despite growing competition and worsening global fragmentation, scholars said Tuesday, arguing that no country can dominate the next wave of innovation alone. The remarks came at the Gather in Shenzhen forum at Hanyang University in Seoul, part of a three-day event organized by Shenzhen Media Group ahead of this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Shenzhen. Speaking at a session on technology innovation, Lee Hee-ok, emeritus dean of Sungkyun Institute of China Studies, said Korea's ambition to become one of the world's top three artificial intelligence (AI) powers would require strategic investment and international collaboration. "Every country today is moving within a similar framework of competition," Lee pointed out. "No country can win in every field." Instead, Korea should focus on becoming a "strategic linchpin" — ensuring that the global technology ecosystem cannot function without Korean capabilities, he said. Lee said Korea's strengths lie in memory semiconductors and precision man

Jun 10, 2026By Yulu Ao
Korea, China urged to deepen tech cooperation despite intensifying competition
Companies

Chinese memory firms edge closer to challenging Korea's chip giants

China's two leading memory-chip makers are moving closer to public listings as both companies rapidly expand production and gain market share, raising fresh questions about whether Samsung Electronics and SK hynix could face a new competitive challenge from China's growing semiconductor industry. ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), China's leading dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) producer, won approval last week for its nearly 30-billion-yuan ($4.4 billion) initial public offering (IPO) in Shanghai, while NAND flash champion Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp. (YMTC) has begun IPO preparations and could formally submit a listing application as early as June, with proceeds directed at equipment and research and development. The twin listing efforts come as both companies benefit from a global memory upcycle driven by artificial intelligence (AI) demand. More importantly, analysts say they reflect a broader shift in China's semiconductor industry, where memory makers are evolving from technology catch-up players into increasingly credible competitors in global markets. The IPO approval

Jun 6, 2026By Yulu Ao
Chinese memory firms edge closer to challenging Korea's chip giants
Politics

A young Chinese’s first encounter with Korea’s election fever

For many Chinese people born after the mid-1990s, Korea first arrived not as a country, but as a cultural phenomenon. My generation grew up with Korean dramas and reality shows. I watched "Full House" with my mom, discussed "We Got Married" with classmates after school and later followed "My Love from the Star," which became a cultural sensation among young Chinese viewers. Although cultural exchanges became less visible in China after the dispute over the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, in Korea erupted in 2016, causing a rift between the Chinese and Korean governments, interest in Korean society never entirely disappeared. Films such as "12.12: The Day" and works by writers like Han Kang and Kim Ae-ran have continued to attract young Chinese audiences, many of whom see echoes of their own experiences in the social pressures, competition and inequalities portrayed. Perhaps that is why many young Chinese look to Korea not only for entertainment, but also for perspective. That was the Korea I thought I knew before arriving in Seoul. As a journalist particip

Jun 5, 2026By Yulu Ao
A young Chinese’s first encounter with Korea’s election fever
Companies

Pop Mart opens Korea's 1st regular Hirono store in Seoul's Gwangjang Market

Chinese trend-toy maker Pop Mart has opened Korea's first regular standalone store dedicated to Hirono, one of its most popular intellectual properties (IP), at Seoul's historic Gwangjang Market, as the company seeks to expand the character beyond collectibles and develop it into a lifestyle brand. The store, which opened Friday in central Seoul, marks Hirono's first permanent retail presence in Korea following a temporary pop-up store in the Seongsu area from April to May. It is also the fourth Hirono-themed store globally, after locations in Shanghai, Bangkok and London, each designed around local cultural references and urban identities. For Xuan Yilang, better known as Lang, the creator of Hirono, the decision to open in Gwangjang Market was closely tied to both the character's personality and the atmosphere of the neighborhood. "Korea has a very strong brand culture, and there are many brands loved by young people," Lang said in an interview with The Korea Times. "But I didn't want to choose a place that felt overly commercial." Lang said he visited Gwangjang Market several times be

Jun 5, 2026By Yulu Ao
Pop Mart opens Korea's 1st regular Hirono store in Seoul's Gwangjang Market
Companies

Confusion grows over CU's purported offline expansion in China

Confusion emerged over CU's purported offline store plan in the Chinese market, as a local distributor suggested that Korea's largest convenience store chain is preparing to open an outlet there, despite the Korean headquarters saying it has no such plans. The confusion was sparked when the distributor, Ubay International Trade, launched an online store selling CU products in China, promoting them on Chinese social media platforms. Ubay International Trade began offering a selection of Korean snacks, beverages and CU-branded products Monday on Alibaba Group Holding's Tmall platform, one of China's largest e-commerce platforms. The launch was promoted through an account on Xiaohongshu, or RedNote, one of the largest social media and e-commerce platforms in China. The account was operated by Ubay but was named "CU" and verified by the Chinese social media platform as an official enterprise account. The account posted a countdown to the online debut and directed users to the Tmall store. The campaign quickly gained traction among Chinese consumers, with its first post attracting more than 4

Jun 1, 2026By Yulu Ao
Confusion grows over CU's purported offline expansion in China
  • BGF Retail to export CU products to China
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