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According to a report by Infomax under the Korea Herald, SK Hynix is advancing its plan to build a semiconductor factory in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, with an investment scale of hundreds of trillions of Korean won. SK Group Chairman Choi Tae-won recently visited the area personally. Miyagi Prefecture is one of the three major semiconductor industry bases supported by the Japanese government.The report states that this factory will be an overseas production base added by SK Hynix outside of its clusters in Yongin, South Korea, and Hunan, China, aimed at meeting the ongoing tight global supply and demand situation for memory. If the plan materializes, SK Hynix will become the third foreign semiconductor company to establish a factory in Japan, following Micron and TSMC. The report points out that due to ongoing pressure from the United States for South Korean companies to increase investments in the U.S., this investment in Japan may further intensify U.S. pressure, while the Japanese government's subsidy policy is also an important consideration. SK Hynix has not officially responded to this news. Previously, on August 20, SK Hynix announced a 40 trillion won share buyback cancellation plan.

According to Jinshi reports, informed sources revealed that Samsung Electronics will announce a new shareholder return plan on Friday, with a scale potentially reaching 110 trillion won (79 billion USD). Informed sources stated that the Samsung board is scheduled to hold a meeting after the Korean stock market closes, around 4 PM local time, and the details of the plan will be announced shortly after the meeting. According to informed sources, the scale of this shareholder return plan is expected to be between 90 trillion won and 110 trillion won.

On August 20, according to the Korea Economic Daily, Samsung Electronics plans to announce a shareholder return plan worth approximately 150 trillion won this month, exceeding the previously reported amount of 100 trillion won. It is expected to include measures such as stock buybacks and special dividends, potentially setting a new historical high for listed companies in South Korea. Industry insiders revealed that Samsung Electronics plans to hold a board meeting this month to review the relevant proposals. Earlier, the market had anticipated that the return scale could reach as high as 200 trillion won, but considering the company's basic principle of using 50% of free cash flow (FCF) for shareholder returns, the final scale is expected to be between 150 trillion and 160 trillion won.Samsung Electronics executives stated that with the recovery of the memory chip industry, the company's cash generation ability has significantly improved. Brokerages expect Samsung Electronics' total free cash flow for this year to be approximately 263 trillion won, and the cumulative free cash flow during the shareholder return policy period from 2024 to 2026 is expected to be around 319 trillion won. Based on a 50% return ratio, the total return funds are about 160 trillion won. After deducting the 39.1 trillion won already executed and planned for execution, the remaining funds are close to 120 trillion won.The market expects that Samsung Electronics may use the remaining funds to add a large-scale special dividend in addition to maintaining the regular dividend of 1,668 won per share each year, and to promote large-scale stock buybacks. Industry insiders indicate that following SK Hynix, Samsung Electronics' launch of a large-scale shareholder return plan may become an important factor in driving the valuation increase of the South Korean stock market.

SK Hynix will implement a share buyback and cancellation plan worth 40 trillion won (approximately 28.5 billion USD) starting from August 20, repurchasing about 24.07 million shares, which accounts for approximately 3.3% of the total outstanding shares. Based on the previous day's closing price of 1.662 million won per share, this represents about 58% of its net cash of 69 trillion won as of the end of the second quarter. The buyback will last for about three months, and all repurchased shares will be completely canceled. This is also the largest stock cancellation plan ever by a listed company in South Korea.According to the shareholder return policy previously disclosed by the company, SK Hynix plans to use more than 50% of the cumulative free cash flow from 2025 to 2027 for returns, implementing buybacks and cash dividends concurrently, and is studying the expansion of the dividend plan. The company stated that this early buyback is based on the judgment that "the stock price is below intrinsic value" to achieve efficient capital reallocation. Specific additional return plans, including dividends and stock buybacks, will be announced after a board resolution during the third quarter earnings release.

According to a report by the Korean News Agency, South Korean virtual asset exchange Bithumb disclosed a net loss of 21.8 billion won in the second quarter of 2026, turning from a net profit of 22 billion won in the same period last year to a loss, but narrowing from a net loss of 86.9 billion won in the previous quarter. Revenue for the quarter was 86.3 billion won, a year-on-year decrease of 35.8%; operating profit was 12.1 billion won, a year-on-year decrease of 44%.In the first half of the year, the total net loss was 108.7 billion won, turning from a net profit of 55 billion won in the same period last year to a loss; revenue for the first half was 168.8 billion won, a year-on-year decrease of 48.7%; operating profit was 14.9 billion won, a year-on-year decrease of 83.4%. Bithumb stated that the performance reflects factors such as virtual asset valuation losses and will respond to market changes, strengthen internal capabilities, and enhance service competitiveness to build a foundation for sustainable growth.

Upbit operator Dunamu announced its performance for the second quarter of 2026, with quarterly revenue of 173.5 billion won (approximately 12.3 million USD) and operating profit of 23.5 billion won (approximately 1.665 million USD), a decrease of about 26% and 73% respectively compared to the first quarter.In the first quarter, Dunamu's revenue was 234.6 billion won (approximately 16.6 million USD) and operating profit was 88 billion won (approximately 6.234 million USD). Dunamu stated that the decline in performance this quarter was mainly affected by the overall liquidity contraction in the global digital asset market, leading to weakened investor sentiment.

According to reports from South Korean media, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won received a salary of 1.75 billion won in the first half of this year.According to the Financial Supervisory Service, SK Corporation disclosed this information in its semi-annual report released that day. The chairman's salary level in the first half of this year is the same as the same period last year, and he did not receive any bonuses apart from his salary. The chairman's younger brother, SK Group Vice Chairman Chey Jae-won, received a salary of 1.5 billion won during the same period. SK Corporation President Chang Yong-ho received a total of 1.8 billion won, including 1 billion won in salary and 800 million won in bonuses.In addition, SK Supex Pursuit Council Chairman Yoon Bong-yong was disclosed to have received a total of 7.715 billion won, which includes 500 million won in salary, 800 million won in bonuses, and 6.415 billion won in compensation from 12,103 performance stock units (PSUs) granted three years ago. SK Hynix's sales from Nvidia in the first half of this year exceeded 17 trillion won, accounting for about 13% of the company's total sales.The average salary of SK Hynix employees reached 144 million won (approximately $104,000) in the first half of this year, an increase of 23% year-on-year. SK Hynix significantly increased its capital expenditures and research and development (R&D) investments in the first half of this year. Cash expenditures for acquiring tangible assets exceeded 18 trillion won, an increase of over 70% year-on-year. The number of small shareholders of SK Hynix has grown more than fivefold in a year, surpassing 3.46 million.

SK Hynix plans to invest 35.2 trillion won in the second phase of chip factory construction in Yongin, South Korea.

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.

Citrini analyst jukan posted on platform X, stating that South Korean media reported that SK hynix subsidiary Solidigm is seeking pre-IPO financing, possibly preparing for a NASDAQ listing.The report stated that the company's target valuation in this round of financing is 50 trillion won. Solidigm is the U.S. subsidiary established by SK hynix in 2021 to take over Intel's NAND flash and SSD business, which SK hynix agreed to acquire for about 10 trillion won in 2020.

According to South Korean media Asiae, the operator of the South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Upbit, Dunamu, announced that it has made an additional investment in the medical big data company Inocras through its investment subsidiary Dunamu & Partners, bringing the total investment amount to 14.5 billion Korean won.

According to Jinshi reports, strategists from Citigroup and Barclays Bank stated that the appreciation of the yen may drive various Asian currencies stronger, especially the South Korean won, Singapore dollar, and Thai baht. The yen has risen more than 4% over the past three trading days, while during the same period, the South Korean won, Thai baht, and Philippine peso have all appreciated by at least 0.7%.Strategists pointed out that recent USD/JPY intervention actions may have spillover effects on the Asian foreign exchange market, pushing up Asian currencies sensitive to the yen's movements.

According to the Korea Herald, in June this year, the five major cryptocurrency exchanges in South Korea (Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit, Gopax) had a stablecoin outflow to overseas exchanges amounting to 27.625 trillion won, while inflows from overseas reached 22.022 trillion won during the same period, resulting in a net outflow of 5.603 trillion won, which is equivalent to 77.6% of the net overseas stock purchases by South Korean investors (approximately 7.22 trillion won) during the same period. At the beginning of last year, this ratio was only around 20%.The report states that stablecoins have been in a net outflow state for 18 consecutive months from the beginning of last year to June this year, contrasting with some months of net selling in overseas stocks. In the second quarter of this year alone, the net outflow of stablecoins was 16.872 trillion won, while overseas stocks experienced a net selling of 16.185 trillion won. These outflowing stablecoins are believed to be primarily used for derivatives trading not offered by domestic exchanges. Recently, overseas exchanges have launched spot and futures products for major South Korean stocks such as Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and Hyundai Motor, in addition to cryptocurrency futures, with some high-leverage products allowing for tens of times leverage on indices or individual stocks.

Goldman Sachs published a research report stating that Samsung Electronics' operating profit for the second quarter met expectations. The firm raised its earnings per share forecast for 2026 to 2028 by about 2% and increased the 12-month target price from 480,000 won to 490,000 won. The firm expects that demand for memory will significantly exceed supply, with the gap widening in 2027 and supply remaining tight in 2028.Goldman Sachs pointed out that the company has signed long-term agreements with major data center customers, which will provide better profit visibility and downside protection.In addition, the company aims to become a leader in the AI memory market, with HBM4 expected to account for over 60% of HBM revenue in the second half of 2026, and anticipates significant upside potential for shareholder returns. The stock is currently trading at a forecasted price-to-earnings ratio of 3.1 times and a price-to-book ratio of 1.2 times, with a shareholder return rate close to 50%.

According to Jinshi reports, as the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) has experienced significant fluctuations since July, investor deposits are rapidly decreasing. Last month, the average daily deposit size of investors plummeted by nearly 20 trillion won compared to the previous month, a decrease of about 10 trillion won since March of this year.According to data from the Korea Financial Investment Association, as of the 30th of last month, the size of investor deposits was 1,046.584 trillion won, a decrease of more than 35 trillion won from the historical high of 1,396.948 trillion won on June 4.

According to Daum, the South Korean stock market has recently experienced increased volatility, with investors' risk appetite significantly cooling, and funds are flowing back from the stock market to safer assets such as banks. Due to adjustments in the semiconductor sector and stricter regulations on leveraged investments, the funds waiting to be invested in the South Korean stock market are rapidly withdrawing, leading to a phenomenon of "reverse capital migration."Data shows that by the end of July, the balance of time deposits at the five major banks in South Korea (KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana, Woori, NH Nonghyup) reached 973.49 trillion won, an increase of 24.09 trillion won compared to the end of the previous month, marking the largest monthly increase this year.There has also been a noticeable contraction in funds around the stock market. Data from the Korea Financial Investment Association shows that the deposits in investors' securities accounts (funds waiting to be invested in stock trading) reached a historical high of 139.69 trillion won on June 4, but had fallen to 107.20 trillion won by July 28, a decrease of over 32 trillion won in less than two months. The balance of credit trading financing, which represents the scale of market financing transactions, also dropped to 33.19 trillion won during the same period, down approximately 4.5 trillion won from the peak of 37.72 trillion won recorded on July 2, a decrease of about 12%.

According to South Korean media reports, Doosan Group has signed an agreement with SK Group to acquire semiconductor wafer manufacturer SK Siltron. With the completion of this transaction, Doosan is expected to further enhance its competitiveness in the semiconductor industry based on its core businesses in energy, machinery, and more.Doosan Group's holding company "Doosan" disclosed on the 31st that it has signed a share purchase agreement with SK Group to acquire 70.6% of the shares held by SK in SK Siltron, with a transaction amount of 2.3 trillion won.However, the 29.4% stake personally held by SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won is not included in this acquisition. SK Siltron is the only semiconductor silicon wafer manufacturer in South Korea, ranking third in the global market share based on 12-inch wafers. Last year, SK Siltron's corporate valuation exceeded 5 trillion won.

According to Jinshi reports, foreign investors net bought KOSPI stocks worth 7.2 trillion won on Friday, setting a historical record.

Samsung Electronics released its Q2 2026 financial report, with revenue of 171.5 trillion Korean won (approximately $118.8 billion), a year-on-year increase of 130%, and a quarter-on-quarter increase of 28%, setting a new record for a single quarter; operating profit was 89.5 trillion Korean won (approximately $62 billion), a year-on-year increase of 1813.8%, and a quarter-on-quarter increase of 56.4%, exceeding market expectations by about 5%; net profit was 71.62 trillion Korean won (approximately $49.6 billion), a staggering year-on-year increase of 1299.9%. Earnings per share were 10,849 won, a year-on-year increase of 52%.The Device Solutions (DS) division reported revenue of 127.5 trillion Korean won, with operating profit of 89.2 trillion Korean won, a quarter-on-quarter increase of 56%, driven by demand for AI server memory, with both revenue and profit reaching historical highs. HBM4 has been mass-produced and shipped, and HBM4E samples have been delivered to major customers. The Device Experience (DX) division saw a quarter-on-quarter revenue decline of 9%, with the MX business affected by component cost pressures, reporting revenue of 33.2 trillion Korean won and an operating loss of 0.7 trillion Korean won.Samsung expects strong demand for server DRAM, eSSD, and HBM to continue in the second half of the year, with a tight market supply situation persisting, although demand in the mobile and PC sectors may see some slowdown. The company plans to expand sales of high-value-added products such as HBM4, DDR5, and SOCAMM2, and to mass-produce new mobile products using the second-generation 2nm process, aiming for double-digit revenue growth in its foundry business.