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Lee Yeon-woo

Korea Times Finance Reporter

Lee Yeon-woo is a financial journalist at The Korea Times. Her wide range of reporting includes policies, macroeconomics, stock market, companies and even crypto. She is passionate about connecting the dots in Korean finance and making it easier for foreign nationals to understand. Based on her previous experience as a national reporter, she also has a keen interest in social issues within the sector, including gender equality and ESG. Your tips and insights are always appreciated. You can send them to yanu@koreatimes.co.kr.

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Economy

KOSPI sinks below 8,000 on fears over slowing AI chip demand

Seoul shares plunged Thursday, with the benchmark KOSPI falling below the 8,000 mark for the first time in about 15 trading sessions, as chip heavyweights tumbled on growing concerns over weakening demand for artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors. According to the Korea Exchange, KOSPI closed at 7,648.09, down 7.89 percent from the previous session. The index opened at 7,933.10, marking the first time in about 15 trading sessions that it had fallen below 8,000 during intraday trading. At around 9:07 a.m., KOSPI futures also fell by more than 5 percent, briefly triggering a sell-side sidecar. Foreign investors drove the decline, net selling 5.46 trillion won ($3.5 billion) worth of shares on the main bourse, marking a 10th consecutive day of net selling. Institutional investors also sold a net 114.6 billion won, while retail investors purchased a net 5.39 trillion won. The sharp decline came after reports said Meta may enter the cloud computing business by using its surplus computing capacity. The news raised concerns that AI demand may be weaker than expected and that the AI inves

47m agoBy Lee Yeon-woo
KOSPI sinks below 8,000 on fears over slowing AI chip demand
Economy

Korea's leveraged chip ETFs struggle to bring investors home

Korean retail investors continue to pour money into leveraged products listed overseas, suggesting that the launch of domestic single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tied to Samsung Electronics and SK hynix has done little to curb broader demand for high-risk overseas products, industry officials said Thursday. Leveraged products accounted for 21 of the 50 U.S.-listed securities most heavily bought on a net basis by Korean investors between June 2 and July 1, up from seven the previous month, according to SEIBro, a portal run by the Korea Securities Depository. Net purchases surged to $1.65 billion from $490 million in the May 2-June 1 period. Korean investors were net sellers of Hong Kong-listed single- stock leveraged products from May 27 to July 1, but buying activity remained sizable. During the period, they purchased $151.5 million worth of the SK hynix product and $79.3 million worth of the Samsung Electronics product, the two largest purchase amounts among Hong Kong-listed securities bought by Korean investors. Unlike in the domestic market, investors trading leverag

1h agoBy Lee Yeon-woo
Korea's leveraged chip ETFs struggle to bring investors home
Economy

Won nears 1,560 on strong dollar, foreign stock selling

The Korean won weakened to 1,559 per dollar in intraday trading Wednesday, showing little sign of stabilizing despite suspected intervention by currency authorities. The won-dollar exchange rate closed at 1,554.9 in Seoul's onshore trading, up 5.5 won from the previous session, marking the local currency's weakest close since March 2009 during the global financial crisis. The rate opened at 1,549.8 and breached the closely watched 1,550 level during the session, climbing as high as 1,559 before paring gains amid dollar-selling by exporters and caution over possible official intervention. Foreign exchange authorities spent a record $22.4 billion in the fourth quarter of 2025 and another $13.6 billion in the first quarter of this year to help support the won. Still, broad dollar strength driven by the Federal Reserve’s hawkish outlook, coupled with the won’s tendency to track weakness in the yen, is putting renewed upward pressure on the exchange rate. Foreign selling in Korean equities is adding to pressure on the currency. Overseas investors net sold 148 trillion won of KOSPI-listed

1d agoBy Lee Yeon-woo
Won nears 1,560 on strong dollar, foreign stock selling
Economy

30 years on, Kosdaq struggles to regain investors' trust

As Kosdaq marks its 30th anniversary on Wednesday, the government is moving to weed out marginal firms and promote higher-quality companies in a broad overhaul aimed at restoring investor confidence. During a ceremony held at Conrad Seoul hotel, Korea Exchange (KRX) Chairman and CEO Jeong Eun-bo reaffirmed plans to structurally reform the junior tech-heavy market. "The buildup of marginal companies has weighed on the broader market's valuation and made it vulnerable to unfair trading practices," Jeong said. "The goal is to replace weaker firms with innovative technology companies and help them grow into stronger listed businesses." Starting Wednesday, the market capitalization threshold for delisting will be raised to 20 billion won ($12.9 million) from the current 15 billion won. Penny stocks trading below 1,000 won will also become eligible for delisting. KRX expects the tougher rules to sharply increase the number of delisted companies, from eight in 2023 and 38 last year to about 88 this year. Another proposal calls for a "promotion-and-relegation" system, under which the market woul

1d agoBy Lee Yeon-woo
30 years on, Kosdaq struggles to regain investors' trust
Cryptocurrency

Global crypto exchanges repackage Korean chip stocks as perpetual futures

Global cryptocurrency exchanges are offering high-leverage perpetual futures linked to Korean chip stocks and the KOSPI, seeking new revenue streams as crypto trading volumes decline sharply, industry officials said Tuesday. Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange, has been among the most aggressive players in the shift, rolling out a series of products. One of its products even gives investors exposure of as much as 150 times the move in the KOSPI. On June 22, Binance listed KORUUSDT, a perpetual futures contract tied to KORU, a triple-leveraged KOSPI exchange-traded fund listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The product offers leverage of up to 20 times. Four days later, Binance added another KORU-linked product with leverage of as much as 50 times. Perpetual futures, a staple of crypto trading, allow investors to speculate on the price of an asset without owning it. Unlike traditional equity products, they can be traded around the clock and often come with far higher leverage. The expansion builds on Binance's earlier move into derivatives tied to Korean semiconductor stocks. On

2d agoBy Lee Yeon-woo
Global crypto exchanges repackage Korean chip stocks as perpetual futures
Banking & Finance

Winners of the 22nd Economic Essay Contest

The Korea Times is pleased to announce the winners of its 22nd English Economic Essay Contest for university students. The Grand Prize winners are Alexandra Maria Escobar Garay, a Salvadoran student at Busan University of Foreign Studies, and Ko Kyung-hwan, a Korean student at Hanyang University. Each winner will receive 3 million won in prize money and an award certificate. The runners-up are Sultanova Khadizha, a Kyrgyz student at Woosong University, and Said Jonathan Luviano Lessie, a Mexican student at Ajou University. Each will receive 2 million won and an award certificate. Commendation awards went to Tran Minh Ngoc, a Vietnamese student at Hanoi Financial and Banking University, Narzullaeva Maftuna Shukhrat Kizi, an Uzbek student at Inha University, and Lee Hyo-jeong, a Korean student at the University of California. Each will receive 1 million won and a certificate. The contestants wrote essays addressing one of two subjects. The first topic covered Korean banks and securities firms. The contestants were asked to write an essay based on this writing prompt: Korean banks and securitie

2d agoBy Lee Yeon-woo
Winners of the 22nd Economic Essay Contest
Economy

DWS Group bullish on Korea logistics, upbeat on stock market reforms

DWS Group said Monday that European real estate is expected to deliver annual returns of 9 percent over the next five years, offering fresh investment opportunities for Korean investors despite their recent caution toward alternative assets. Speaking during a press meeting at the International Finance Center in Seoul, officials from the German asset manager noted that European real estate has become increasingly attractive as supply remains tight across major sectors, while demand continues to be supported by structural factors. Clemens Schaefer, global head of real estate for the Asia-Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa at DWS Group, said vacancy rates in Europe's residential, logistics and office sectors are significantly lower than those in the U.S. But new supply is expected to remain limited, as high development costs and relatively low expected returns have discouraged developers from launching new projects. The company forecast that European real estate will generate annual returns of 9 percent over the next five years, compared with 7.2 percent for the U.S. and 7 percent for

Jun 29, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
DWS Group bullish on Korea logistics, upbeat on stock market reforms
Economy

Korea's ETF market overtakes Kosdaq for 1st time

The domestic exchange-traded fund (ETF) market overtook the Kosdaq in market capitalization for the first time last week, data showed Sunday, ahead of the Kosdaq's 30th anniversary in July. The ETF market has grown rapidly this year, driven by increased participation from retail investors and strong interest in artificial intelligence-themed investments, while the Kosdaq has declined amid broad weakness in the index. According to the Korea Exchange, total net assets of domestic ETFs stood at 519.75 trillion won ($337.94 billion) as of Thursday, exceeding the Kosdaq’s market capitalization of 499.3 trillion won. Although Friday’s total net asset figure has yet to be finalized, industry officials estimate that ETF net assets continued to outpace the Kosdaq through Friday. It marked the first time that the domestic ETF market's net assets exceeded the Kosdaq's market capitalization since the first ETF was launched in Korea in December 2002. The two markets first reversed positions on Tuesday. A day later, the Kosdaq briefly moved back ahead, but ETFs regained the lead on Thursday. The g

Jun 29, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
Korea's ETF market overtakes Kosdaq for 1st time
Economy

Will Samsung join ADR wave among Asian chipmakers?

Samsung Electronics could become the next major Asian chipmaker to consider an American depositary receipt (ADR) listing, analysts said Sunday, as rivals seek greater access to U.S. investors amid the capital-intensive race in AI memory. ADRs allow U.S. investors to gain exposure to foreign companies without those companies directly listing their ordinary shares on a U.S. exchange. They could broaden Samsung's global investor base, increase its visibility among U.S. institutions and potentially pave the way for inclusion in global exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and benchmark indices. "Given the company's current undervaluation and favorable market conditions, the ADR scenario cannot be ruled out," said Kim Dong-won, head of research at KB Securities. "It is viewed as a strong capital policy option to improve access for global investors, and related discussions are expected to gain momentum." Analysts point to TSMC as an example of how ADRs can expand a chipmaker's international investor base. TSMC is held by 9,994 global funds through its ordinary shares, compared with 12,748 for SK hynix

Jun 28, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
Will Samsung join ADR wave among Asian chipmakers?
Companies

Travel Wallet gears up for Kosdaq listing amid global expansion

Travel Wallet, a digital wallet platform operator in Korea, is gearing up for an initial public offering after selecting NH Investment & Securities and KB Securities as its lead underwriters, according to company officials, Thursday. The firm targets a Kosdaq listing in 2027. Travel Wallet is a fintech company that provides app-based foreign currency top-up and overseas payment services. Users can load the foreign currency of their choice in real time through the app and make payments with the card at online and offline merchants overseas. The company currently supports foreign currency top-ups and payments in 46 currencies. As of June 2026, it had issued more than 9.6 million cards and surpassed 9.8 trillion won ($6.3 billion) in cumulative transaction volume. The company has been expanding into the global digital wallet business, building on its domestic operational experience. In April, it launched service in Japan, marking the start of its global digital wallet business for users in overseas markets., the company said. It is also focusing on expanding its business-to-business payment

Jun 25, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
Travel Wallet gears up for Kosdaq listing amid global expansion
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