The Korea Times

Brokerages see KOSPI hitting 10,000 this year despite recent tumbles

Local securities firms are continuing to raise their market forecasts, with many expecting KOSPI to reach the 10,000-point mark within this year despite the benchmark index’s sharp volatility in recent days, analysts said Tuesday. KOSPI briefly topped the 8,000 mark for the first time last Friday before plunging sharply. On Tuesday, KOSPI opened at 7,425.66, down 90.38 points, or 1.20 percent, from the previous session, before extending losses to close at 7,271.66, down 244.38 points, or 3.25 percent. Still, market watchers said stronger earnings growth by semiconductor firms and the ongoing artificial intelligence (AI) investment boom are likely to remain key drivers behind the market’s upward trajectory. Hana Securities lifted its projected upper band for KOSPI to 10,380, arguing that the index could realistically surpass the 10,000-point milestone if earnings estimates are achieved. “Market volatility tends to intensify during bullish cycles, but liquidity and corporate earnings remain the key factors shaping the broader market trend,” said Lee Jae-man, an analyst at Hana Secur

May 19, 2026By Jun Ji-hye

Brokerages see KOSPI hitting 10,000 this year despite recent tumbles

Others

Korean won swings sharply on oil prices, foreign capital outflows

The Korean won has come under heightened volatility against the U.S. dollar this month amid escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, broad dollar strength and persistent foreign capital outflows, analysts said Tuesday. The heightened volatility in the foreign exchange market was reflected in the won-dollar exchange rate fluctuating by nearly 70 won over a span of less than two weeks, with the rate closing at more than 1,500 won per dollar for the third consecutive trading session Tuesday after touching an intraday best level of 1,439.6 won on May 6. In Seoul’s foreign exchange market, the Korean currency ended Tuesday's onshore trading at 1,507.8 won per dollar, weakening 7.5 won from the previous session. The latest closing level marked the highest since April 2, when it closed at 1,519.7 won per dollar. Market watchers attributed the won’s weakness largely to rising geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East and a broad shift toward safe haven assets. Concerns intensified over the weekend after U.S. President Donald Trump made a social media post on Sunday. “For Iran,

May 19, 2026By Jun Ji-hye

Korean won swings sharply on oil prices, foreign capital outflows

Companies

Samsung-SK hynix concentration weakens ETF diversification

Asset management firms are accelerating the launch of semiconductor-themed exchange-traded funds (ETFs) while aggressively increasing exposure to the country’s two largest chipmakers, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, amid the recent KOSPI rally driven largely by optimism over soaring global demand for artificial intelligence (AI) chips, industry officials and market analysts said Monday. The trend is fueling concerns that ETFs, originally intended to provide diversified investment exposure, are becoming increasingly concentrated in the two tech giants. Market watchers warned that excessive reliance on semiconductor stocks could amplify volatility in the broader domestic equity market. Samsung Asset Management recently revamped its “KODEX AI Semiconductor” ETF by increasing the maximum weighting of Samsung Electronics and SK hynix to 25 percent each. The previous cap for individual holdings had been around 20 percent. The asset manager also streamlined the portfolio by reducing the number of constituent stocks from 24 to about 15. Data from ETF Check, a platform operated by Korea S

May 19, 2026By Jun Ji-hye

Samsung-SK hynix concentration weakens ETF diversification

Others

KOSPI pares early losses as Samsung jumps on court ruling

Samsung Electronics shares jumped nearly 4 percent Monday after a court partially sided with the company in its request for an injunction against labor unions planning a large-scale strike, easing investor concerns over potential disruptions to chip production. The company’s shares climbed 3.88 percent to close at 281,000 won ($188). Together with SK hynix, Samsung Electronics has recently been driving the KOSPI’s record-breaking rally amid optimism over sustained growth in the artificial intelligence (AI) industry. In its ruling, a district court in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, said the unions should maintain normal staffing levels for operations related to safety facilities, prevention of equipment damage and measures to prevent product defects, effectively limiting the scope of the planned walkout. The labor unions, which are demanding the abolition of the current cap on performance bonuses, had previously announced an 18-day strike scheduled to begin Thursday. In response, the chipmaker submitted the injunction request against the unions on April 16, arguing that the planned collect

May 18, 2026By Jun Ji-hye

KOSPI pares early losses as Samsung jumps on court ruling

Others

KOSPI tops 8,000 intraday before tumbling below 7,500 on foreign sell-off

The KOSPI, which briefly crossed the 8,000 milestone for the first time ever during intraday trading on Friday, later extended losses and slid below the 7,500 level as foreign investors accelerated their sell-off. The sharp decline in KOSPI200 futures also triggered a sell-side sidecar. The benchmark index opened 29.66 points, or 0.37 percent, lower at 7,951.75, but soon rebounded and climbed to an intraday high of 8,046.78. The move marked the first time the KOSPI had traded above the 8,000 level, only seven trading days after breaking through the 7,000 mark for the first time on May 6. Momentum quickly faded, however, with the index turning negative and tumbling to close at 7,493.18, down 488.23 points, or 6.12 percent, from the previous session. Analysts said mounting concerns over overheating following the market’s steep rally, coupled with continued foreign selling, dragged the benchmark sharply lower. The Korea Exchange activated a sell-side sidecar at about 1:28 p.m., halting program sell orders for five minutes after KOSPI200 futures dropped 5.09 percent from the previous close

May 15, 2026By Jun Ji-hye

KOSPI tops 8,000 intraday before tumbling below 7,500 on foreign sell-off

Banking & Finance

Hana Financial steps up digital asset push with Dunamu stake acquisition

Hana Financial Group has expanded its strategic partnership with Dunamu after acquiring a 6.55 percent stake in the digital asset company for about 1 trillion won ($667 million) through its core affiliate Hana Bank, the group said Friday. The deal makes Hana Bank the fourth-largest shareholder of Dunamu, which operates Korea’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Upbit. The bank’s board earlier in the day approved the purchase of Dunamu’s 2.284 million shares from Kakao Investment. This marks the largest-ever investment by a Korean commercial bank in a single digital asset company. The investment comes as the global financial industry accelerates its transition toward blockchain and stablecoin infrastructure. Hana Financial described the partnership as an effort to merge traditional financial services with digital innovation capabilities in order to strengthen competitiveness in the rapidly evolving digital finance market. Dunamu has established itself as the dominant player in the country’s digital asset sector, supported by its large user base and trading activity, as well as its

May 15, 2026By Jun Ji-hye

Hana Financial steps up digital asset push with Dunamu stake acquisition

Others

KOSPI closes at new high, inches closer to 8,000 mark

KOSPI opened higher Thursday on the back of gains in U.S. technology stocks and extended its upward momentum, closing at another record high and moving closer to the 8,000 mark. The country’s benchmark index opened at 7,873.91, up 29.90 points, or 0.38 percent, from the previous session, and extended its gains to close at 7,981.41, up 137.40 points, or 1.75 percent. At one point during the session, it rose as high as 7,991.04. Overnight, U.S. markets continued to see strong gains in semiconductor stocks despite rising concerns over inflation. The April U.S. producer price index increased 6 percent from a year earlier, largely due to soaring energy costs, marking the sharpest increase since December 2022 and reinforcing worries about persistent inflationary pressure. Still, investor sentiment toward tech shares remained upbeat, helped by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang accompanying U.S. President Donald Trump on his China trip, which began Thursday. Nvidia rose 2.29 percent, Alphabet jumped 3.94 percent and the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index advanced 2.57 percent. According to state-run China

May 14, 2026By Jun Ji-hye

KOSPI closes at new high, inches closer to 8,000 mark

Policy

PHOTO Fiscal-monetary policy coordination

Budget Minister Park Hong-keun, left, shakes hands with Bank of Korea Gov. Shin Hyun-song ahead of their meeting at the central bank's building in Seoul, Thursday. The two discussed policy coordination between fiscal and monetary authorities to address structural economic challenges and strengthen future growth potential. Courtesy of Ministry of Planning and Budget

May 14, 2026By Jun Ji-hye

Policy

Korea broadens overseas tax collection cooperation into Europe

National Tax Service (NTS) Commissioner Lim Kwang-hyun visited three European countries to bolster cross-border tax collection cooperation aimed at recovering overseas assets concealed by delinquent taxpayers, marking an expansion of Korea’s enforcement network from the Asia-Pacific region into Europe, the NTS said Thursday. During his tour from May 8 through May 13, Lim visited Budapest in Hungary, Brussels in Belgium and London in the United Kingdom, where he held bilateral meetings with the heads of each tax authority and signed memorandums of understanding on mutual assistance in tax collection. Lim also engaged in detailed discussions with his counterparts on ongoing efforts to trace and recover overseas assets, as well as on joint responses to offshore tax evasion cases. In one case, a foreign professional athlete who had worked in Korea moved to a European league after leaving unpaid taxes behind. Following the NTS’ request for mutual assistance in tax collection, the foreign tax authority initiated procedures to seize the taxpayer’s assets in the individual’s home countr

May 14, 2026By Jun Ji-hye

Korea broadens overseas tax collection cooperation into Europe

Others

KOSPI rebounds as retail investor inflow offsets foreign selling

KOSPI, which briefly fell to the 7,400 range on foreign investor selloff on Wednesday, reversed course to close at a record high above the 7,800 mark on strong buying from retail and institutional investors. The country's benchmark index opened at 7,513.65, down 1.69 percent, or 129.50 points, from the previous session. Losses deepened in early trading, pushing the index as low as 7,402. Sentiment later improved, however, with KOSPI recouping its earlier declines and climbing above the 7,800 level intraday before closing at 7,844.01, up 200.86 points, or 2.63 percent, from the previous session. The weak start followed an overnight decline in U.S. semiconductor shares, which dragged down the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index and pressured Korean equities from premarket trading. Among heavyweight stocks, Samsung Electronics dropped sharply earlier in the session, plunging nearly 6 percent after labor-management talks broke down and U.S. chip stocks weakened overnight. The stock later pared most of its losses, fluctuating around the flat line before ending 1.79 percent higher at 284,000 won

May 13, 2026By Jun Ji-hye

Jun Ji-hye

Read more

Brokerages see KOSPI hitting 10,000 this year despite recent tumbles

Korean won swings sharply on oil prices, foreign capital outflows

Samsung-SK hynix concentration weakens ETF diversification

KOSPI pares early losses as Samsung jumps on court ruling

KOSPI tops 8,000 intraday before tumbling below 7,500 on foreign sell-off

Hana Financial steps up digital asset push with Dunamu stake acquisition

KOSPI closes at new high, inches closer to 8,000 mark

PHOTO Fiscal-monetary policy coordination

Korea broadens overseas tax collection cooperation into Europe

KOSPI rebounds as retail investor inflow offsets foreign selling

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