Why Has Korea’s Stock Market Gone Wild?

President Lee Jae-myung is taking on entrenched family interests.

Two stockbrokers, one man and one woman, are seen from the side as they sit in front of large bays of monitors displaying line charts and lists of numbers. The man is closer to the camera, wearing glasses and a short-sleeve white shirt, and he smiles slightly as he looks up at a screen. August 20, 2025, 2:59 PM Comment icon View Comments ( )

Since Lee Jae-myung won South Korea’s presidential election on June 3, the Korean stock market has been on a tear. On June 2, the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI)—the weighted index of all common stocks traded in the Korea Exchange—closed at 2,698.97. Around two months later on Aug. 4, the index closed at 3,147.75—a remarkab

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