South Korea Stock Markets & Securities

Coverage of KOSPI, KOSDAQ, and Korean securities markets, including stock analysis and market trends.

Price, Exchange Rate Stability Must Top Government's Economic Agenda

Jan 2, 2026

Korea Zinc Says US Joint Venture Share Issuance Proceeding Normally, Denies Registration Failure

Korea Zinc denies claims of registration failure for its Crucible Joint Venture share issuance with the U.S. government, stating procedures are procee...

5h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

Bain Capital to Acquire Korea's Top Athleisure Firm Ecomarketing for 500 Billion Won

Bain Capital is acquiring Ecomarketing, parent of Korea's leading athleisure brand Andar, for 500 billion won through a founder stake purchase and ten...

5h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

Hyundai Motor Group Targets No. 2 EV Spot in Europe, Closing Gap on Tesla

** Hyundai Motor Group is closing in on Tesla for the No. 2 spot in Europe's EV market, with Genesis expanding to seven countries and the group planni...

8h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

Over 1 Trillion Won Exits Parking Products, Signaling Shift to Equities

Over 1 trillion won exited Korean parking products including MMFs and CD-linked ETFs in the past week, with funds flowing into domestic and internatio...

8h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

Top 5 Conglomerates Surge 97% as Overall Market Gains 73%

Korea's top 5 conglomerates saw market cap surge 97% in 2024 versus 73% for the overall market, with Samsung and SK leading gains amid semiconductor s...

8h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

Big Tech's Pain Is a Blessing for Broader Markets

** As Big Tech's AI investment race intensifies, opportunities emerge beyond the Magnificent Seven. Korean markets may see gains in shipbuilding, heal...

9h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

Korea Value-Up Index Surges 89% in a Year, Yet Fund Inflows Remain Sluggish

Korea's Value-Up Index gained 89.4% in 2024, outperforming KOSPI by 14 percentage points, but fund inflows remain weak at just 0.58% of ETF market gro...

9h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

OpenAI Staff Receive $1.5M Each in Stock, 34 Times Big Tech Average

** OpenAI offers employees average stock compensation of $1.5 million in 2025, 34 times the Big Tech average before IPO and seven times higher than Go...

9h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

Genesis Expands into Four European Markets with EV-Only Strategy

Genesis expands to France, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands with an EV-only strategy, aiming to capture Europe's growing premium electric vehicle mar...

9h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

Samil PwC Expands Real Estate Solutions to Meet Growing Prime Office Demand

Samil PwC expands real estate solutions division with five specialized teams to provide leasing, overseas expansion, and investment advisory services ...

9h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

Shipbuilding, Defense, Securities Firms See Credit Upgrades, Boosting Investment Capacity

Korean companies in shipbuilding, defense, and securities sectors saw credit rating upgrades in 2025, with upgrades and downgrades each at 40 companie...

9h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

Korean Food Stocks Face Another Cloudy Year as Obesity Drugs Shine

** Korean food stocks underperformed in 2024 amid slowing consumption and obesity drug concerns, while pharmaceutical companies developing weight-loss...

9h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

Customized Furniture Defies Slump as Consumers Seek Personalization

Korea's customized furniture market shows strong growth as Hyundai Livart reports 47% sales increase in 2024, with consumers embracing hyper-personali...

9h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

Korean AI Chip Unicorns Target Global Market as NPU Mass Production Begins

Korean AI chip unicorns FuriosaAI and Rebellions begin NPU mass production in 2025, targeting global AI inference market with chips offering 2.7x bett...

9h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

Bitcoin Skeptic Warns 'Last Chance to Exit' as Price Stalls Below $90,000

** Bitcoin trades sideways below $90,000 as economist Peter Schiff warns of further decline, while other analysts see potential for January rebound ba...

10h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

Semiconductor, AI Specialists in Demand; Retail Jobs Hit by Automation

Korea's 2025 job market will be driven by semiconductors, AI, and healthcare sectors, with professional services employment projected to grow 3.5%, wh...

11h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

Korea Offers Up to 1 Million Won for Trading In Gas Cars for EVs

** South Korea offers up to 1 million won extra for trading gas cars for EVs in 2026, introduces mandatory fire insurance covering 10 billion won in t...

11h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

Semiconductors Account for 25% of Korea's 2024 Exports; US, China Shares Both Fall for First Time in 8 Years

** South Korea's 2024 exports hit record $709.7 billion, with semiconductors accounting for 25% of total. Exports to both US and China declined for fi...

12h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

China's Belt and Road Trade Surplus Share Hits 45%, Surpassing US for First Time

China's trade surplus with Belt and Road countries reached 45% of its total in 2024, surpassing the US share of 24% for the first time, as Beijing exp...

12h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

Gold, Silver Surge to Record Highs as U.S. Stocks Gain 20%; Korean Investors Buy $47 Billion

Korean retail investors purchased a record $47 billion in U.S. stocks in 2025, led by AI shares. Gold surged 64% and silver jumped 140%, while Nasdaq ...

13h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

OpenAI Staff Receive Record $1.5M Each in Stock Compensation

OpenAI provides employees with average stock compensation of $1.5 million in 2025, 34 times higher than other major tech companies before IPO, as it b...

15h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

SK Chairman Chey Urges Group to Seize 'Infinite Opportunities' in AI Era

** SK Group Chairman Tae-won Chey calls on employees to seize infinite opportunities in the AI era, highlighting the group's integrated AI solutions a...

16h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

Korea's Trillion-Won Market Cap Club Grows to 323 Companies

Korea's trillion-won market cap club grew to 323 companies as KOSPI surged 75.6% in 2024. Samsung Electronics eyes 1,000 trillion won milestone while ...

16h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

Retail Investors Post Record Net Sales in 2024 as KOSPI Surges 76%

Korean retail investors net sold a record 26.37 trillion won in 2024 despite KOSPI's 76% surge, while foreign investors more than doubled retail retur...

16h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

FTC Chair Vows to Raise Penalties to Advanced-Nation Levels

** FTC Chairman Joo Byung-ki pledges to raise penalties to advanced-nation levels, strengthen bargaining power for economically disadvantaged parties,...

17h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

Gold, Silver Emerge as 2025's Top Winners; Wall Street Posts Third Straight Year of Double-Digit Gains

** U.S. stocks closed 2025 with third consecutive year of double-digit gains despite year-end losses. Gold surged 63% and silver soared 140%, posting ...

19h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

Samsung, SK hynix Launch Massive Chip Capex Race; Investment Cycle to Extend Through 2027

** Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are launching massive semiconductor capex programs, with Samsung resuming its world-largest P5 fab and SK hynix in...

19h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

Dollar Index Plunges 9.5% as Trump Tariffs Trigger 'Sell America' Trend

** The dollar index fell 9.45% in 2025, its largest annual drop since 2017, as Trump's tariff policies triggered a "Sell America" trend. TSMC begins 2...

19h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

Wall Street Ends 2024 With Four-Day Losing Streak; Nasdaq Gains 20% for Year

** U.S. stocks ended 2024 with a four-day decline, missing the Santa Rally. Despite the weak finish, the Nasdaq gained 20% for the year amid the AI bo...

19h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

GM Korea Posts Worst Performance Since Korea Entry as Sales, Exports, Production All Decline

** GM Korea's 2024 domestic sales hit record low of 15,000 units since 2002 launch, with exports and production also declining as Korean plants receiv...

19h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

Korean Retailers Roll Out Red Horse-Themed Products for Year of the Fire Horse

** Korean retailers launch red horse-themed products and promotions for 2026 Year of the Fire Horse, featuring limited-edition foods, wines, and colle...

19h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

Horse Year Securities Leaders Eye IB Expansion, Digital Transformation, Overseas Growth

** Korean securities leaders born in 1966 drive IB expansion and digital transformation in 2026, while SoftBank completes $40 billion OpenAI investmen...

20h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

Korea Offers Tax Break to Lure Retail Investors Back From US Stocks

** Korea offers full capital gains tax exemption for retail investors who sell US stocks and return to domestic markets by Q1 2026, targeting up to 50...

20h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

Korea Spent $1.75 Billion Defending Won in Q3

** South Korea's FX authorities net sold $1.745 billion in Q3 2025 to stabilize the won, marking four consecutive quarters of dollar sales amid curren...

20h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

Iljin Group Chairman Vows to Lead Global Markets With Cutting-Edge Technology

** Iljin Group Chairman Hur Jin-kyu announced 2026 management policy focused on leading global markets with cutting-edge technology, calling for proac...

20h ago|Seoul Economic Daily

KOSPI Eyes January Rally as 'January Effect' Sparks Optimism

** KOSPI gained 75.6% in 2025, its third-best annual return ever. Analysts eye the January effect as Samsung and SK hynix earnings loom as key market ...

21h ago|Seoul Economic Daily