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The Kobeissi Letter posted on X that as volatility in the South Korean domestic market intensifies, South Korean retail investors have clearly shifted towards the U.S. stock market. In July, South Korean retail investors net purchased $4.6 billion in U.S. stocks, an increase of 627% from the previous month, marking the highest monthly level since January 2026, and significantly higher than the average monthly scale of $2.7 billion in 2025.Meanwhile, the Korea Composite Stock Price Index has fallen 33% from its June peak, with approximately 75% of the decline attributed to the two major chip stocks, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. As a result, the scale of South Korean retail investors buying U.S. stocks last month exceeded that of domestic stocks for the first time since February.

According to South Korean media NATE, the Korea Regulatory Reform Committee has proposed amendments to the enforcement decree of the Specific Financial Transaction Information Act, excluding minor violations from the qualification restrictions for major shareholders of Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASP).This move has sparked discussions in the market regarding exchange mergers and acquisitions, the entry of new businesses, and the fairness of regulation. The proposal to relax restrictions also involves issues related to the boundaries of the enforcement decree's authority.

Cryptocurrency exchange Bybit has filed a civil lawsuit against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, its intelligence agency Reconnaissance General Bureau (RGB), and the state-sanctioned hacking organization Lazarus Group, involving a $1.5 billion hacking incident.A U.S. federal court has issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting the transfer or dissipation of identified assets related to the case during the litigation period.

The Korean National Police Agency has selected Upbit's parent company, Dunamu, through public bidding to be responsible for the custody of seized virtual assets, with a contract period of 1 year.The confiscated digital assets will be managed through the digital asset custody service Upbit Custody, responding in real-time to regulatory infrastructure and conducting custody and management within 365 days. This service employs 100% offline cold wallets, 24/7 monitoring, and introduces MPC, DKG multi-key management, and multi-signature technology to ensure asset isolation and security.

The Korea Exchange will officially launch after-hours trading for exchange-traded funds (ETFs) on September 14, despite concerns in the industry about the volatility of leveraged products.The exchange aims to compete with alternative trading systems like Nextrade and all-weather cryptocurrency exchanges. Asset management institutions warn that the lack of real-time fund net asset value estimates could widen the price deviation of ETFs, and the industry had previously called for a delay in the launch of this business.Individual stock leveraged ETFs will not be included in the scope of after-hours trading.

Retail investors in South Korea are shifting their focus from the growth story of asset management companies to market stability issues in the eyes of regulators, surrounding high-leverage trading of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.Since their debut on May 27, the first batch of single-stock leveraged products in South Korea has quickly become one of the most crowded trades in the current semiconductor rally of the Korean stock market. Sixteen single-stock ETFs and two ETNs designed around Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix allow investors to make directional bets of about 2 times on a single stock. The launch of these products coincided with the warming of the AI storage cycle, leading to a surge of retail funds into the market, pushing the total assets of the Korean ETF market to a historical high at one point.Winners on the fee side quickly emerged. Estimated by net asset size and fee rates, these single-stock leveraged ETFs generated nearly 3.7 billion won in management fees after about two months of operation. Samsung Asset Management took the lion's share due to the scale advantage and higher fee rates of its KODEX products, while Future Asset offered lower fees to gain market share. Early data from Korean media has shown that Samsung and Future Asset together account for over 90% of the net assets of such products, with liquidity further concentrating on leading products.However, this fee feast has also come with significant side effects. In mid-July, the South Korean Financial Services Commission stated that the market value and trading volume of single-stock leveraged products rose rapidly after their launch, with the weight of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix in KOSPI once reaching 52%. Regulators also pointed out that the volatility of global storage stocks has significantly increased, and the high volatility of individual stocks like SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics, combined with product rebalancing trades, could amplify market shocks.Subsequently, South Korean authorities accelerated the tightening of regulations. Starting from July 31, the minimum margin requirement for individual investors investing in such products was raised from 10 million won to 30 million won, and cash was required to meet this requirement, with alternative securities no longer accepted; regulators also suspended the launch of related new products, restricted advertising, and strengthened spread management and investor education.There are signs that trading enthusiasm has cooled. Data from the Korean Exchange shows that after the introduction of new regulations, the daily trading volume of the 16 related single-stock leveraged/inverse ETFs dropped from about 10 to 12 trillion won (peaking at 15 to 20 trillion won) to around 1 trillion won (on August 3-4), and on August 5, it fell to as low as 919.8 billion won (first time below 1 trillion). There has been a slight rebound recently, with the trading volume of the 16 related ETFs at about 7.45 trillion won on July 27.

According to the expected plan compiled by the Korea Digital Convergence Industry Association, the secondary regulations for Security Token Offerings (STO) in South Korea may include: allowing "pooling" issuance of similar types of underlying assets, setting over-the-counter trading limits for general investors, clarifying the licensing conditions and business scope for non-standard securities over-the-counter exchanges, and developing a phased roadmap for the tokenization of standard securities. In addition, the technical and financial requirements for issuer account management institutions are also expected to be included in the regulations.This expected plan is based on publicly available policy directions and industry discussions and is not an official version. Specific standards still need to be determined through legislative announcements, regulatory reviews, and other procedures. Previously, the STO market was primarily focused on single assets; if pooling is allowed, it could promote the issuance of multi-asset composite products such as music copyrights and real estate. The over-the-counter trading limits for general investors are expected to be higher than existing sandbox cases, but the final limits still need to balance investor protection and market liquidity. The status of non-standard securities over-the-counter trading platforms and existing operators, as well as the future path for the tokenization of standard securities (stocks, bonds), will be key focuses moving forward. The industry warns that after the regulations are implemented, the preparation time for related companies' systems and internal controls may be quite urgent.

According to Wired, a security researcher who has been infiltrating a North Korean hacking organization for nearly two years has issued a warning, pointing out that the attack methods targeting individual employees and contractors are extremely effective and have a wide-ranging impact, leading to numerous organizations worldwide suffering breaches.Greek cybersecurity researcher Vangelis Stykas stated that since gaining access to the North Korean system 22 months ago, he has found evidence indicating that 1,640 companies in 57 countries have been affected by North Korean hacking operations. Among them, approximately 700 to 800 affected organizations have suffered "highly destructive" breaches.

Japanese NAND manufacturer Kioxia is accelerating its layout in the AI NAND market. This year, it has launched mass production of the 10th generation (BiCS 10) 332-layer 3D NAND and based on this, introduced the PCIe 6.0 supported data center eSSD "CM10," which has improved sequential read performance by up to 92% compared to the previous generation. In addition, Kioxia plans to start mass production of UFS 5.0 embedded storage by the end of this year, with data transfer speeds approximately doubling compared to UFS 4.1, primarily targeting the AI mobile device market. According to TrendForce data, Kioxia's global NAND market share in the first quarter of this year was 13.9%, ranking third, following Samsung Electronics (31.6%) and SK Hynix (17.6%).Korean manufacturers are also quickening their pace. Samsung has begun mass production of the PCIe 6.0 eSSD "PM1763" last month, equipped with the 9th generation V-NAND and a 4nm controller, with plans to mass produce UFS 5.0 in the fourth quarter. Samsung also announced that it will start mass production of the 10th generation V-NAND (approximately 430 layers) this month, applying hybrid bonding and triple stacking technology for the first time. Industry analysts believe that Kioxia is quite competitive in terms of the speed of technological iteration, but its production capacity still lags behind Korean manufacturers, and competition in the AI storage market will become even more intense in the future.

According to Gate market data, the South Korean KOSPI index has expanded its decline to 3%, SK Hynix's stock price has dropped by 7%, and Samsung Electronics has fallen by nearly 3%.

According to Daum, after South Korea's financial regulatory authorities raised the base margin for domestic and foreign single-stock leveraged products from 10 million won in securities to 30 million won in pure cash starting July 31, South Korean retail investors began to rapidly adjust their portfolios.According to data from the Korea Securities Depository, Tesla's 2x leveraged product TSLL recorded a net purchase of 14.58 million USD on August 3, but the purchase amount on the 4th plummeted from the previous day's 15.6 million USD to 1.56 million USD, while the selling amount rose to 8.68 million USD, resulting in a net sell of 7.11 million USD for the day. During the same period, Tesla's spot net purchases reached 42.3 million USD, more than five times the net purchase amount of TSLL.Micron Technology and SanDisk also showed similar divergence—Micron's 2x leveraged product flipped from a net purchase of 10.81 million USD on the 3rd to a net sell of 15.98 million USD on the 4th, while SanDisk's 2x leveraged product changed from a net purchase of 17.74 million USD to a net sell of 33.74 million USD. Meanwhile, the spot net inflows for the two companies were 148 million USD and 145 million USD, respectively, indicating a significant trend of funds shifting from leveraged tools to the underlying stocks.The tightened regulations require that the base margin must be paid in cash, with alternative securities such as stocks, ETFs, and bonds no longer counted, and existing investors must also meet the new standards when making additional purchases; selling is unrestricted, but the funds from sales must be settled after T+2 days before they can be counted as cash margin.The new rules were originally planned to be implemented in phases in August, but due to concerns that limiting it to Korean products would lead to a capital influx into overseas leveraged products like Tesla and Nvidia, creating a balloon effect, South Korean regulators moved the implementation date up to July 31 and simultaneously covered both domestic and foreign products.South Korean investors have reacted strongly, believing that extending measures aimed at local market volatility to overseas products constitutes excessive intervention, and that only South Korean investors must meet the 30 million won cash threshold, putting them at a disadvantage in global competition.

According to South Korean media MK, the annual tax reform plan previously announced by the South Korean government does not include a proposal to further postpone the taxation of virtual assets (cryptocurrencies), which means that the current legal schedule for taxation in 2027 is likely to remain.According to the current South Korean Income Tax Act, starting in 2027, income from the transfer and lending of virtual assets will be classified as "other income," and investors will enjoy a tax-free allowance of 2.5 million Korean won per year. Any amount exceeding this will be subject to a 20% income tax, along with an additional 10% local income tax, resulting in a combined tax rate of 22%.

According to Gate market data, as of the close, the China-Korea Semiconductor ETF (513310) had a total trading volume of 23.7 billion, marking the third highest record in history. The highest record was 25.9 billion on July 29, 2026, and the second highest was 24 billion on July 21, 2026. This ETF tracks the China Securities Korea Exchange China-Korea Semiconductor Index, with the top two holdings being Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.Today, the South Korean KOSPI index closed up 3.76%, with SK Hynix rising 5.8% and Samsung Electronics rising 2.5%.

According to Gate market data, the Nikkei 225 index closed up 2,342.91 points on August 5, an increase of 3.66%, closing at 66,300.44 points. SoftBank rose by 13%, and Kioxia rose by 4.8%.The South Korean KOSPI index also closed up 239.3 points on the same day, an increase of 3.76%, closing at 6,598.25 points; the KOSDAQ rose by 2.41%, SK Hynix rose by 5.77%, and Samsung Electronics rose by 2.5%.

According to Jinshi reports, North Korean military commentators pointed out that the US, Japan, and South Korea are strengthening their joint operational capabilities through military exercises, forming a "trinity" threat that could become a new security crisis in the Asia-Pacific region. The US and South Korea conducted exercises in July, carrying out large-scale "joint logistics support exercises." The US is also accelerating the reorganization of the US military command in Japan into a "joint military command" and deploying medium-range missile systems in Japan and South Korea. All parties should be vigilant and curb this trend.

According to Jinshi reports, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung stated on Wednesday that the AI-driven industrial transformation is reshaping the global industrial landscape, emphasizing that South Korea needs to take "bold" and "swift" investment actions. He pointed out that the government's responsibility is to identify trends, plan for the future, and lay the foundation for innovation, while ensuring solid industrial growth potential and a strong energy security system to withstand changes in the external environment.

According to Edaily, the South Korean Ministry of Economy and Finance has finalized the "2026 Tax Reform Bill," which does not include a clause for delaying the taxation of virtual assets. If passed by the National Assembly, profits from virtual asset transactions exceeding 2.5 million won will be taxed at a rate of 22%, with the first declaration due in May 2028.This taxation has been postponed three times previously, and the opposition party has proposed a repeal bill, facing significant opposition amid the current market downturn.

After South Korea raised the margin requirements for single-stock leveraged ETF investors, the trading activity of related products has significantly decreased, with trading volume dropping to about one-tenth of the previous peak level.According to data from the Korea Exchange, the total trading volume of 16 single-stock leveraged and inverse ETFs related to Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix in the KOSPI market was 12.388 trillion won within two trading days after the new measures were implemented, a decrease of 58.6% compared to 29.907 trillion won on the day the measures were implemented (July 31).Previously, South Korean regulators raised the minimum cash margin requirement for single-stock leveraged ETF investors from 10 million won to 30 million won. Compared to the trading volume of 124.485 trillion won on the last trading day before the measures were implemented (July 30), the current trading scale of related products has dropped to about one-tenth.The enthusiasm of retail investors has cooled significantly. Data shows that the trading volume of retail investors in single-stock leveraged and inverse products has fallen to 250.7 billion won, less than a quarter of the 929.9 billion won on July 31.Analysts indicate that after raising the margin threshold, the effect of restricting speculative capital inflow has begun to show, and the trading pattern of retail investors continuously buying leveraged products during declines in the underlying stocks is changing.