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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

Chip rally lifts KOSPI 3.56% in 4th straight gain

KOSPI surged 3.56 percent Thursday, extending its winning streak to four sessions as sharp gains in semiconductor heavyweights kept the index in positive territory. The benchmark KOSPI closed at 6,813.34, up 3.56 percent from the previous session. The index opened 2.96 percent higher and extended its gains throughout the session. Foreign and institutional investors bought a net 2.1 trillion won ($1.47 billion) and 680.9 billion won worth of shares, respectively. Retail investors, however, sold a net 2.73 trillion won worth of shares amid profit-taking. An overnight rally in U.S. semiconductor stocks spilled over into the Korean chip sector, boosting investor sentiment. SK hynix rose 5.92 percent to close at 1,593,000 won, while Samsung Electronics gained 4.89 percent to finish at 268,000 won. Samsung Electro-Mechanics also rallied after Morgan Stanley replaced Samsung Electronics with the company as its top pick and raised its target price to 2.62 million won from 2.56 million won. Shares jumped 12.58 percent to close at 1,503,000 won. Foreign investors' net selling pressure has eased con

Aug 13, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
Chip rally lifts KOSPI 3.56% in 4th straight gain
Banking & Finance

Mirae Asset poised to reclaim brokerage crown from Korea Investment & Securities

Mirae Asset Securities took the lead in the brokerage industry's earnings race in the first half of the year, with net profit exceeding that of Korea Investment & Securities by more than 1 trillion won ($706.5 million), according to industry officials, Thursday. If the lead holds through year-end, Mirae Asset Securities will reclaim the industry's top spot in annual net profit for the first time in four years, they said. Mirae Asset Securities posted consolidated net profit of 2.91 trillion won in the first half of this year, up 338 percent from a year earlier, while Korea Investment & Securities recorded 1.73 trillion won, up 68.9 percent. In 2025, Korea Investment & Securities reported a net profit of 2.01 trillion won, 420 billion won more than Mirae Asset Securities' 1.59 trillion won, making it the first brokerage in Korea to surpass 2 trillion won in annual net profit. The picture, however, changed dramatically in the first half of this year. Mirae Asset Securities' first-half net profit alone exceeded its full-year profit from last year and even surpassed the net profits of four m

Aug 13, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
Mirae Asset poised to reclaim brokerage crown from Korea Investment & Securities
Economy

KOSPI climbs 3.7% on chip rally, foreign buying

The benchmark KOSPI surged 3.68 percent Wednesday, as foreign and institutional investors piled into large-cap semiconductor stocks on upbeat earnings from major U.S. tech companies and growing expectations for shareholder returns. The benchmark KOSPI closed at 6,579.04, up 3.68 percent from the previous session. The index opened 1.42 percent higher and extended its gains, triggering a buy-side sidecar at 11:57 a.m., the 23rd such activation this year. Foreign and institutional investors bought a net 2.83 trillion won ($1.9 billion) and 528.4 billion won worth of shares, respectively. Retail investors, however, sold a net 3.19 trillion won worth of shares, taking profits. Investor sentiment toward large-cap semiconductor stocks improved following strong earnings reports from major U.S. tech companies, along with expectations for shareholder return plans. SK hynix rose 5.54 percent to close at 1,504,000 won, while Samsung Electronics gained 6.68 percent to finish at 255,500 won. CoreWeave reported second-quarter revenue of $2.58 billion, up 112 percent year on year, while raising its full

Aug 12, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
KOSPI climbs 3.7% on chip rally, foreign buying
Economy

Speculative fever grips Kosdaq amid record rally

The Kosdaq has risen about 19 percent this month, the best performance among major global equity indexes. But some of the speculative trading that had fueled volatility in the KOSPI has migrated to the junior bourse, leaving the smaller-cap market prone to sharper swings, market watchers said Wednesday. The index hit a year-to-date high of 1,226.18 on April 27 before sliding from May, according to the Korea Exchange. It fell to 644.78 on July 30, a three-month low, before rebounding sharply to the 850 level. On Wednesday, it closed at 858.91, up 0.12 percent from the previous session. The turnaround came as enthusiasm for semiconductor stocks cooled and tighter restrictions on single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds (ETFs) dampened activity in the benchmark KOSPI. Bargain hunting after the Kosdaq's steep decline also helped fuel the rebound. However, the shift has also redirected speculative capital into the market, with retail investors rapidly changing their positioning. Buy-side trading curbs have been triggered four times in seven sessions since July 31. Between July 1 to 31, in

Aug 12, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
Speculative fever grips Kosdaq amid record rally
Economy

KOSPI rises slightly on strong semiconductor exports

KOSPI closed higher Tuesday as strong early-August export data outweighed lingering concerns over AI investment and led gains in major semiconductor shares. The benchmark KOSPI closed at 6,345.53, up 0.73 percent from the previous session. The index opened 0.63 percent lower but reversed course as large-cap semiconductor stocks recovered after taking a breather in recent sessions. Foreign and institutional investors purchased a net 44.6 billion ($31.45 million) and 31.9 billion won worth of shares, respectively. Retail investors sold a net 72.4 billion won. SK hynix rose 0.35 percent to close at 1,425,000 won, while Samsung Electronics gained 4.13 percent to finish at 239,500 won. Korea's exports totaled $21.3 billion from Aug. 1 to 10, up 45.3 percent from a year earlier. Semiconductor exports in particular surged 155.4 percent year-on-year to $10 billion, driving the overall increase. DRAM export prices continued to rise, reinforcing expectations for strong earnings momentum in the semiconductor sector. Still, upbeat semiconductor data was tempered by lingering concerns over the sustain

Aug 11, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
KOSPI rises slightly on strong semiconductor exports
Economy

Korea's stock market is missing 'long money'

Koreans were largely skeptical when President Lee Jae Myung took office last June with the goal of pushing the KOSPI from 2,000 to 5,000. They had reason to be. According to the Korea Corporate Governance Forum, a 100 million won ($70,691) investment in the U.S. stock market a decade earlier would have grown to 340 million won by 2024, including dividends and capital gains. The equivalent investment in Japan and Taiwan would have reached 280 million won and 260 million won, respectively, compared with just 160 million won in Korea. It was a market that offered investors only "a little sense of reward," as Park Yoo-kyung, former managing director of emerging markets equities at APG Asset Management, once put it. That dismal record helped explain the enthusiasm among global investors for Lee's efforts to improve corporate governance and shareholder returns, tackling the so-called "Korea discount." Then came the artificial intelligence (AI) boom, with Korea's two semiconductor giants at the center. The KOSPI surged 75.89 percent in 2025, the strongest performance among major markets. After br

Aug 11, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
Korea's stock market is missing 'long money'
Economy

Kosdaq soars 7% while KOSPI gains modestly

KOSPI edged higher but failed to reclaim the 6,300 level, Monday, while the Kosdaq surged more than 6 percent to close above 850. The benchmark KOSPI closed 0.65 percent higher at 6,299.66 after opening up 0.33 percent, snapping a two-session losing streak. Foreign investors sold a net 1.5 trillion won ($1.06 billion) of shares, while retail and institutional investors bought a net 899.8 billion won and 567.4 billion won, respectively. SK hynix fell 0.14 percent to 1,420,000 won, while Samsung Electronics declined 0.43 percent to 230,000 won. U.S. nonfarm payrolls fell by 23,000 in July, compared with market expectations for a gain of 100,000. The weak reading eased concerns about further interest rate increases and supported demand for riskier assets. Sentiment toward chipmakers remained fragile, however, following reports that Apple was considering using memory chips from China’s CXMT. Hopes for renewed U.S.-Iran talks also faded. U.S. President Donald Trump said he would be willing to end the war without a nuclear agreement with Iran if freedom of navigation through the Strait of Horm

Aug 10, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
Kosdaq soars 7% while KOSPI gains modestly
Economy

Korea becomes market barometer for global AI stock trade

Korea has become an important barometer for the global artificial intelligence (AI) stock trade, industry officials said Monday, as swings in Seoul increasingly reflect shifts in technology sentiment that are playing out across markets from Tokyo and Shanghai to Wall Street. The shift reflects the unusual structure of the Korean market. The KOSPI's heavy weighting toward semiconductor companies, combined with its sensitivity to foreign capital flows, means changes in expectations for AI investment can be reflected in Korean share prices quickly, and sometimes more sharply than elsewhere. That has made Seoul an increasingly important reference point during Asian trading hours. Investors have increasingly treated the Nikkei 225 and the KOSPI as expressions of much the same trade, according to Nikkei Asia. Both indices have substantial exposure to companies tied to AI and semiconductors, while their trading hours largely overlap. The relationship was evident last Wednesday. Stronger-than-expected earnings from Japanese electronics supplier Ibiden initially sent AI and semiconductor-related

Aug 10, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
Korea becomes market barometer for global AI stock trade
Economy

PHOTO Neighbors protest redevelopment plan for Yongsan Children's Garden

Condolence wreaths are lined up along a sidewalk in front of Yongsan Children’s Garden in Seoul, Saturday, as part of a protest by nearby residents against the government’s plan of redeveloping the park to build new public housing. The government is considering using available land around the capital city to construct 50,000 additional homes, with a comprehensive housing package expected as early as this Thursday. Newsis

Aug 9, 2026By Lee Yeon-woophoto
[PHOTO] Neighbors protest redevelopment plan for Yongsan Children's Garden
Economy

KOSPI slump pushes trading activity to yearly low

Trading value and volume on the KOSPI have dropped to their lowest levels of the year as the benchmark index extended its decline amid weakness in semiconductor heavyweights, data showed Sunday. According to the Korea Exchange, average daily trading value on the KOSPI stood at 26.28 trillion won ($18.6 billion) so far this month. Average daily trading value stood at 27.06 trillion won in January before hovering around the 30 trillion won mark, at 32.234 trillion won in February, 30.143 trillion won in March and 29.551 trillion won in April. It then surged above 50 trillion won in May and June, when the KOSPI rallied sharply, reaching 50.22 trillion won and 50.35 trillion won, respectively. Trading value fell to 36.88 trillion won in July and declined further this month. Trading volume also plunged, with average daily volume falling to a year-to-date low of 301.67 million shares this month. The sharp drop in trading activity appears to reflect the KOSPI's continued weakness in August. The benchmark index has fallen 5.10 percent so far this month, with sidecars triggered twice. The two chip

Aug 9, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
KOSPI slump pushes trading activity to yearly low
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