Samsung to Launch First Yongin Chip Plant by 2029 as South Korea Speeds Up Semiconductor Hub 
SK Hynix Stock Soars as AI Memory Demand Outlook Fuels Chip Rally 
Dollar Slides as Softer US Inflation Dims Fed Rate Hike Expectations 
Morgan Stanley Names Marks & Spencer Top European Retail Pick, Sees Strong Upside 
Mastercard Explores Sale of Majority Stake in UK Payments Firm Vocalink: Report 
China Q2 2026 GDP Misses Forecast as Weak Domestic Demand Offsets Export Strength 
Dollar Holds Steady Ahead of U.S. CPI as Oil Surge, Middle East Tensions Keep Markets on Edge 
South Korea’s KOSPI Enters Bear Market Despite Remaining 2026’s Best-Performing Major Stock Index 
Apple Challenges India Antitrust Probe, Says CCI Copied Rivals’ Claims in App Store Case 
BHP Faces Major Port Hedland Strike as Labor Talks Stall Ahead of Production Report 
European Stocks Slip as Middle East Tensions and Hormuz Threat Rattle Markets 
US Appeals Court Limits ICE Detention Without Bond Hearings After 90 Days 
Oil Prices Climb as Trump Escalates Iran Pressure, Strait of Hormuz Risks Grow 
Singapore GDP Grows 5.7% in Q2 2026 as AI-Driven Manufacturing Boosts Economy 
Apple Sues OpenAI, Former Employees Over Alleged Trade Secret Theft 
BOJ May Raise Japan Growth Forecast While Keeping Focus on Inflation Risks 
Amy Coney Barrett Faces Conservative Backlash After Key Supreme Court Rulings Against Trump 
The Seoul Northern District Court has rejected Hong Kong-based Affinity Equity Partners’ request for Kyobo Life Insurance Co. to carry out its obligation to put option on 6 million shares in Kyobo Life at a strike price of 409,000 apiece.
The court also ruled against the provisional seizure of Kyobo Life Insurance Chairman Shin Chang-jae’s assets Monday
The ruling removes a major hurdle for Kyobo Life’s drive to list shares on the local stock bourse in the first half of next year.
In October 2018, private equity firm Affinity Equity Partners exercised the put option after Kyobo Life failed to deliver on its promise to go public by September 2015.
According to Shin, he refused to buy back the shares as the strip prices are too high. He then filed a complaint with the International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICC), which rejected the private equity firm’s request.
Affinity Equity Partners, a financial investor in Kyobo Life, asked the court in October to order Shin to fulfill his promise concerning the put option.
The court ruling came days after Kyobo Life applied for preliminary approval with the local bourse operator to list its shares, with a plan to complete the overall IPO process by the first half of next year.
Kyobo Life Insurance has pushed in vain to list its shares over the past few years due to a prolonged legal battle with Affinity Equity Partners.
Kyobo Life said the company will finalize plans for the IPO size and timing in consideration of the market situations and other factors.
