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Friday, October 16, 2026English edition
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The Geopolitician

Country risk, from the local press

South Korea · Country watch

KOSPI Plunge, Korean Air Revenue Surge

South Korea's KOSPI crashes over 8% amid tech sell-off, while Korean Air posts record Q3 revenue, impacting investors and the aviation sector.

· · 5 sources

The picture Deteriorating

Business conditions in South Korea are deteriorating as KOSPI crashes over 8% due to tech sell-off, impacting investor confidence. Korean Air's record revenue offers a positive note but does not offset market instability.

In this briefing Korean Air · Lee Hee-geun · POSCO · Hanwha Ocean · KOSPI · Samsung Electronics · SK hynix

Regulation

Nothing significant reported today.

Disruption

Nothing significant reported today.

Internal tension

Nothing significant reported today.

Safety & health

Nothing significant reported today.

Companies

  • logistics
  • tourism

Korean Air posts record quarterly revenue in Q3

Korean Air Boeing 777-300ER HL8008, as flight 92 to Seoul-Incheon, departs Boston after taking off from runway 33L.
Korean Air Boeing 777-300ER HL8008, as flight 92 to Seoul-Incheon, departs Boston after taking off from runway 33L. 4300streetcar, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Korean Air reported a record quarterly revenue of 5.04 trillion won ($3.8 billion) for the third quarter, driven by strong inbound travel and steady cargo demand, despite high fuel costs. This marks a 26% increase from the previous year, according to The Korea Herald. The national carrier's financial performance highlights the recovery in air travel demand and the resilience of its cargo operations.

Impact Korean Air's record revenue boosts confidence in the aviation sector, benefiting suppliers and partners.

Sources: The Korea Herald ↗

  • manufacturing
  • energy

POSCO, Hanwha Ocean to develop LNG cargo tanks

POSCO and Hanwha Ocean signed a memorandum of understanding to develop liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier cargo tanks using high-manganese steel. The agreement aims to enhance Korea's competitiveness in the LNG market, traditionally dominated by foreign technology, The Korea Herald reports. The collaboration will focus on testing and expanding the commercial use of the material in shipbuilding.

Impact POSCO and Hanwha Ocean's collaboration could enhance Korea's position in the LNG shipbuilding market.

Sources: The Korea Herald ↗, Korea.net ↗

Markets

  • finance
  • technology

KOSPI crashes 8% as Samsung, SK hynix plummet

The Samsung headquarters
The Samsung headquarters Oskar Alexanderson, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

South Korea's KOSPI index plunged 8.13% on Thursday, driven by a sell-off in technology stocks, including Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, which fell over 10%. The sharp decline triggered circuit breakers on both the KOSPI and KOSDAQ markets, according to The Korea Herald. The drop was fueled by concerns over the sustainability of artificial intelligence investments and rising U.S. inflation, which could lead to further interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve.

Impact Investors in South Korean stocks face significant losses as major tech shares plummet, impacting market stability.

Sources: The Korea Herald ↗, The Korea Herald ↗

Trade

Nothing significant reported today.

Politics

Nothing significant reported today.

Also today in South Korea

Sources in this briefing

Sources: each headline links to the original article on the publisher's site.

All South Korea briefings →

The same day elsewhere