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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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Business

HD Hyundai, LS, SK hit pause on IPO plans as Korea delays dual-listing rules

Delayed government guidelines on dual listings are forcing major Korean conglomerates, including HD Hyundai, LS and SK, to shelve or reassess subsidiary initial public offering (IPO) plans, raising concerns that regulatory uncertainty is cooling the country's listing market, industry officials said Thursday. Among the companies affected is HD Hyundai Robotics, a major IPO candidate whose listing plans have been thrown into uncertainty. The company suspended working-level preparations for its listing in February. HD Hyundai, which owns an 81.82 percent stake in the robotics unit, had been preparing the IPO, saying it was necessary to support the stable growth of its robotics business, which requires continued large-scale investment. The halt came as guidelines on dual-listing regulations, originally expected to be released earlier this month, remain in limbo, with no fixed announcement date. A dual listing refers to a case in which a listed parent company spins off and lists a profitable business unit, or lists an unlisted subsidiary. Because the subsidiary's value is usually already ref

Jun 25, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
HD Hyundai, LS, SK hit pause on IPO plans as Korea delays dual-listing rules
Economy

KOSPI rebounds from sharp sell-off on Samsung buyback hopes

Korea's benchmark stock index jumped more than 3 percent Wednesday, clawing back some of the previous session's 10 percent plunge, as bargain-hunting and hopes for a major Samsung Electronics buyback lifted investor sentiment. According to the Korea Exchange, the KOSPI closed at 8,471.02, up 3.26 percent from the previous session when it plunged nearly 10 percent. It climbed as high as 8,577.52 during the session, but turned lower in the afternoon and briefly fell to 8,080.99. It later resumed its upward trend and closed higher. Despite weakness in U.S. semiconductor stocks, investor sentiment was boosted by news that Samsung Electronics is close to announcing a 90 trillion won ($58.2 billion) share buyback. Its shares rose 9.84 percent to close at 340,500 won, reclaiming the top spot by market capitalization. SK hynix also rose 0.98 percent to close at 2,580,000 won, but failed to close the gap with Samsung Electronics. Market laggards also advanced, supported by bargain-hunting. The pharmaceutical and biotech sector rebounded on expectations surrounding the 2026 BIO International Conve

Jun 24, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
KOSPI rebounds from sharp sell-off on Samsung buyback hopes
Economy

MSCI keeps Korea off developed market watchlist, but global analysts stay bullish

MSCI's decision to keep Korea off its watchlist for potential inclusion in the Developed Market Index has pushed back expectations for index-driven inflows, but analysts say the setback does little to weaken investors' constructive view of the country's stock market, which remains underpinned by artificial intelligence (AI)-related momentum. Wee Khoon Chong, APAC macro strategist at BNY, noted that the Korean stock market is in a favorable position thanks to AI-related growth momentum, even without inclusion in the Developed Market Index. "Inclusion in the MSCI Developed Market Index would be welcomed, bringing additional passive inflows, but a status quo MSCI decision would not change investors' constructive investment thesis on South Korea," he added. Korea was not added to MSCI's Developed Market Index watchlist in its 2026 market classification review, announced Wednesday. MSCI noted that underlying issues raised by global investors "have not been fully resolved." Korea was first included in the Emerging Markets Index in 1992 and was placed on MSCI's watchlist for potential inclusion

Jun 24, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
MSCI keeps Korea off developed market watchlist, but global analysts stay bullish
Business

Samsung Electronics, SK hynix to benefit further from AI memory bottleneck

Memory chips remain the key bottleneck in the artificial intelligence (AI) supply chain, with Samsung Electronics and SK hynix still positioned as strong beneficiaries of the cycle, Sanjeev Rana, head of Korea research at CLSA, said Tuesday. During a press briefing on the sidelines of the CITIC CLSA Northeast Asia Forum held at Conrad Seoul, Rana noted that over the past 10 years, memory chips’ contribution to semiconductor industry revenue has jumped from 28 percent to 52 percent. “It’s all driven by global AI infrastructure spending. Companies are looking to expand capacity across foundry, advanced packaging, production equipment, interconnects and other areas,” Rana said. “But these bottlenecks are still likely to persist for the next several years and are unlikely to go away anytime soon.” According to CLSA, global semiconductor industry revenue is expected to reach $2.5 trillion by 2030, up 80 percent year-on-year, with the majority — approximately $1.4 trillion — coming from the memory chip sector. Rana said that as AI models grow, limitations on memory bandwidth in

Jun 23, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
Samsung Electronics, SK hynix to benefit further from AI memory bottleneck
Economy

How Korea can turn its chip boom into lasting strength

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a bonanza for Korea's two chip giants, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. Yet the very boom that has lifted profits, exports and investment is also reviving an old anxiety: Korea remains heavily exposed to an industry whose fortunes can turn with brutal speed. Leif Eskesen, chief economist at CLSA, warned that Korea's reliance on semiconductors could prove to be a double-edged sword, urging the country to preserve its competitive edge in memory chips through continued investment and innovation while also cultivating new growth engines beyond the semiconductor sector. "It has been an important driver of growth in the past. It is an important driver of Korea's export and investment story, and it is one of the reasons why we think growth this year could come up in the neighborhood of 3 percent," Eskesen told The Korea Times in a recent interview. "However, when and if that sort of cycle turns, it will spill over through the export and the investment channel." Eskesen is visiting Korea to participate the CITIC CLSA's inaugural Northeast Asia Forum in Seo

Jun 23, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
How Korea can turn its chip boom into lasting strength
Economy

KOSPI slips from record high amid US-Iran uncertainty

The KOSPI ended lower Friday after briefly topping 9,300 to set a fresh all-time high, as uncertainty over U.S.-Iran talks aimed at ending the conflict appeared to weigh on investor sentiment. According to the Korea Exchange, the benchmark index closed at 9,052.42, down 0.13 percent from the previous session, after rising as high as 9,385.59 in intraday trading. However, sentiment weakened in the afternoon after the White House announced that Vice President JD Vance’s planned visit to Switzerland for follow-up working-level talks on nuclear negotiations with Iran had been postponed. Profit-taking pressure and fatigue from the market’s rapid semiconductor-led rally also contributed to the day’s decline, analysts said. Volatility was high, with the gap between KOSPI’s intraday high and low exceeding 553 points. Foreign and institutional investors sold a net 388.4 billion won ($254.5 million) and 1.23 trillion won worth of shares, respectively. Retail investors, meanwhile, stepped in to provide support, net buying 1.68 trillion won. “The domestic stock market opened higher on the d

Jun 19, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
KOSPI slips from record high amid US-Iran uncertainty
Policy

MSCI cites improved access to Korea-linked investment products ahead of review

Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) said Friday that the Korean financial market has improved in terms of the availability of investment instruments ahead of next week's annual market classification review, while noting that underlying accessibility issues remain unresolved. "Derivative products linked to Korean indexes have recently been listed on international exchanges," it wrote in its 2026 global market accessibility review, upgrading its assessment from minus to plus. A plus rating means there are no major issues, though there is still room for improvement. MSCI said some restrictions remain in Korea on the use of exchange data for the creation of financial products. The Korean market received minus ratings in six of the 18 assessment categories last year. But this year, as the availability of investment instruments category was upgraded to plus, the number of minus-rated categories fell to five: the foreign exchange market liberalization level, investor registration and account setup, information flow, clearing and settlement, and transferability. "Authorities have continu

Jun 19, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
MSCI cites improved access to Korea-linked investment products ahead of review
Economy

Chip giants push KOSPI past 9,000, masking broader market weakness

KOSPI set another record on Thursday, surpassing the 9,000 mark for the first time on a strong rally in large-cap semiconductor and IT stocks. However, the broader market continued to show signs of deepening polarization, with small- and mid-cap stocks increasingly left behind. According to the Korea Exchange, the benchmark index closed at 9,063.84, up 2.25 percent from the previous session. The index briefly rose as high as 9,106.07 before paring some gains ahead of the closing bell. Foreign investors led the rally, buying a net 1.44 trillion won ($942.6 million) worth of shares. Retail and institutional investors, meanwhile, offloaded a net 543.9 billion won and 680.3 billion won, respectively. The secondary Kosdaq market closed at 1,000.93, down 3.01 percent. The index was dragged lower by foreign and institutional selling, despite retail investors’ net purchases. The exchange rate stood at 1,527.1 won per dollar, with the Korean currency depreciating by 13.7 won from the previous session, driven by dollar strength following the hawkish Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting o

Jun 18, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
Chip giants push KOSPI past 9,000, masking broader market weakness
Economy

Korea rises 6 spots to 21st in world competitiveness rankings

Korea rose six places to rank 21st out of 70 countries in the International Institute for Management Development’s World Competitiveness Ranking, marking its second-highest position since it was first included in the evaluation in 1997, the Ministry of Finance and Economy said Thursday. Among countries with per capita incomes of more than $30,000 and populations of more than 50 million, Korea ranked second after the U.S., up from third place. The annual ranking is regarded as one of the most representative indicators of national competitiveness, the ministry said. Covering 70 countries, including OECD members and emerging economies, the IMD assessment evaluates the capacity of nations and businesses to increase wealth and improve quality of life. Korea’s previous highest ranking was 20th in 2024, while its lowest was 41st in 1999. Across the four main categories, sharp gains in business efficiency and infrastructure drove Korea’s overall rise. Government efficiency remained unchanged from the previous year, while economic performance edged down. Business efficiency saw the biggest j

Jun 18, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
Korea rises 6 spots to 21st in world competitiveness rankings
Economy

KOSPI hits record closing high as SK hynix extends rally

The benchmark KOSPI closed at an all-time high of 8,864.24 on Wednesday, moving within striking distance of the 9,000 milestone after rebounding sharply from early losses. SK hynix led the surge, hitting a fresh all-time high above the 2.5 million won ($1,653.66) mark, backed by expectations for expanded shareholder returns, a strong growth outlook for high-bandwidth memory and hopes for a U.S. listing of American depositary receipts. According to the Korea Exchange, the benchmark KOSPI finished at 8,864.24, up 1.58 percent from the previous session, closing at an all-time high. It fell short of the intraday record of 8,933.62 set on June 2. Foreign investors sold a net 990 billion won worth of shares. But institutional and retail investors bought a net 577.7 billion won and 543 billion won, respectively, helping the index reverse early losses and close higher. Despite a plunge in the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index in the U.S., SK hynix extended its winning streak to a fifth consecutive session, closing at 2,521,000 won, up 5.84 percent from the previous session. Samsung Electronics cl

Jun 17, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
KOSPI hits record closing high as SK hynix extends rally
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