Samchundang Pharma Becomes KOSDAQ's Top Stock as Retail Investors Pile In

"The bio boom has arrived" — Everything about Samchundang Pharmaceutical, the new KOSDAQ king that dethroned EcoPro

Samchundang Pharmaceutical (000250.KQ), which recently rose to the No. 1 position by market capitalization on KOSDAQ, saw its six-day rally pause, but retail investors rushed in as the stock briefly touched "emperor stock" status — a term for shares priced above 1 million won ($730) — during intraday trading.

According to Korea Exchange (KRX) data on June 25, Samchundang Pharmaceutical closed at 936,000 won the previous day, down 5,000 won (0.53%) from the prior session. Earlier in the session, the stock climbed as high as 1.025 million won, reaching emperor stock territory and setting a new 52-week high. Profit-taking then emerged, trimming gains before the stock turned negative heading into the close.

Retail investors net purchased approximately 35.1 billion won ($25.6 million) worth of Samchundang Pharmaceutical shares on KOSDAQ that day, making it the No. 1 individual net purchase on the entire KOSDAQ market. This stood in stark contrast to foreign and institutional investors, who net sold 19.1 billion won and 15.7 billion won respectively as they locked in profits.

Sustained expectations for the oral insulin treatment under development by Samchundang Pharmaceutical are believed to have fueled the retail buying spree. The company previously disclosed that it had completed submission of an Investigational New Drug (IND) application for Phase 1/2 clinical trials of its oral insulin in Europe. "Significant time was spent optimizing the formulation, establishing finished product manufacturing lines, and building the clinical protocol for oral insulin development, but the lengthy preparation could shorten the clinical development timeline," said Wi Hae-ju, a researcher at Korea Investment & Securities.

Driven by such expectations, Samchundang Pharmaceutical first claimed the top KOSDAQ market cap position on June 20. The KOSDAQ's leading stock has changed hands five times this year: EcoPro BM (247540.KQ) on January 29, EcoPro (086520.KQ) on February 2, Alteogen (196170.KQ) on February 13, EcoPro again on February 19, and Samchundang Pharmaceutical this month.

Meanwhile, after closing lower in the regular session, Samchundang Pharmaceutical surged again in the NXT (NextTrade) after-hours market. On NXT, the stock finished at 1.068 million won, up 127,000 won (13.50%) from the regular session close, reclaiming emperor stock status.