Record-Breaking Bull Market: How Did President Lee’s ETF Investments Perform?

[The Financial News] As the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) posted a record-breaking rise this year, ranking first globally, the returns on President Lee Jae-myung’s domestic stock market investments have also become a hot topic.

According to the Korea Exchange (KRX) on the 31st, the KOSPI closed at 4,220.56 on the last trading day of the year, up 2.20% from the previous session. Compared to last year’s closing price of 2,399.49, this marks a remarkable 75.9% increase, far surpassing the gains of major advanced markets.
The domestic stock market struggled until early this year due to internal and external uncertainties, including the December 3 martial law incident, the impeachment crisis, and U.S. government tariffs. The index dropped to 2,284.72 on April 9 after months of instability.
The situation began to improve after June. Political uncertainty eased following the presidential election, and the government’s stock market stimulus measures took effect, sparking a strong rally in the second half of the year. The KOSPI surpassed the 3,000 mark on June 20, and just four months later, on October 27, it broke through the 4,000 level for the first time in history.
Thanks to the KOSPI’s surge, President Lee’s exchange-traded fund (ETF) holdings are estimated to have generated over 20 million won in returns. During his presidential campaign on May 28, Lee revealed on a YouTube broadcast that he had made lump-sum investments of 20 million won each in the KODEX 200 and Samsung KODEX KOSDAQ 150 ETF.
As of the 30th, the returns on these ETFs since Lee disclosed his purchases stand at 70.19% and 30.87%, respectively. Based on an initial investment of 40 million won, the combined capital gains amount to about 20 million won. In just seven months, he achieved a return equivalent to 50% of his principal.

At the time, President Lee also announced plans to invest 1 million won monthly for five years—a total of 60 million won—in another KOSPI-tracking product, the Mirae Asset TIGER 200 ETF. Given the KOSPI’s rally, the regularly invested funds likely benefited from significant compound growth.
Meanwhile, experts in the securities industry expect the domestic stock market’s bull run to continue, driven by the semiconductor supercycle fueled by the artificial intelligence (AI) boom, a liquidity rally, shareholder return policies, and government initiatives to invigorate the market.
bng@fnnews.com Kim Hee-sun Reporter