Photo: Electronic billboard at Woori Bank in Seoul. Credit: Yonhap News.
On January 22, South Korea’s main stock index hit the inter-market high of 5,019.54, cracking the 5,000 mark for the first time ever. The new high capped a remarkable rally of 85.97% since the low point of June 2, 2025, fulfilling one of president Lee Jae-myung 이재명’s key campaign pledges seven months after his election. (See previous coverage, “Stocks Soar Under the New Administration.”)
The rally was driven by a combination of stock market reforms and AI-related demand. One of the first major policies of the Lee administration was shareholder protection, which significantly limited chaebol 재벌 companies’ options for predatory behavior against minority investors. (See previous coverage, “New Laws Strengthen Shareholder Rights.”) Meanwhile, semiconductor manufacturers Samsung Electronics 삼성전자 and SK Hynix SK 하이닉스 led the way in the AI boom, presaging an ongoing rise.
