"Still Won't Buy? Tough as Nails" ... The 'Chey Tae-won Meme' Goes Viral as SK hynix Surges

[Financial News] As the KOSPI (Korea Composite Stock Price Index) broke above the 9,000-point mark for the first time ever, investors' excitement over SK hynix, which led the rally, and Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, is spreading into online memes.
On the 18th, the KOSPI extended its gains from the previous session and closed at 9,063.84, surpassing 9,000 points for the first time in history. It marked the so-called era of "9,000-point KOSPI," achieved just 34 days, or 22 trading sessions, after the index first broke above 8,000 on the 15th of last month.
The standout stock driving the record-setting rally that day was undoubtedly SK hynix. The company's share price, which had closed at 2.521 million won the previous trading day, jumped 6.51 percent to finish at 2.685 million won.
As SK hynix shares continued their relentless climb, online communities and social media platforms were flooded with parody images celebrating investors' enthusiasm. In particular, memes featuring Chey Tae-won as the main character have drawn major attention.
The most eye-catching example is a parody of writer Noh Hee-kyung's essay cover, Those Who Do Not Love Now Are Guilty. By superimposing Chey's face and presenting it as if a book titled "Those Who Do Not Have Hynix Now Are Guilty" had been published, the image humorously captures the regret of investors who missed out on the stock.
A wide range of other parodies have also appeared, creating a celebratory mood around the booming stock market. Among them are so-called "worship parodies," which depict Chey's face on a photo of people bowing 90 degrees before a giant leader's portrait, as well as cartoon-style memes showing a character with the SK hynix logo teasing those who have not yet bought the stock with lines like, "Still won't buy?" and "Tough as nails."
Another popular parody shows Chey driving a luxury sedan into a battlefield and shouting, "I don't have time to explain, so don't analyze the chart. Get in now," drawing big laughs from investors.
Back in February, when semiconductor stocks hit fresh record highs, "owner-family memes" featuring Chey Tae-won, Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Jae-yong, and Hyundai Motor Group chairman Chung Eui-sun also went viral.

Securities firms expect SK hynix's rally to continue for the time being and are raising their target prices one after another.
Nomura Securities, a foreign investment bank in Japan, recently raised its target price for SK hynix sharply from 4 million won to 5 million won. Major domestic brokerages are also lifting their estimates on the back of upbeat outlooks.
SK Securities set a target price of 4 million won, the highest among domestic brokerages. Mirae Asset Securities and Shinhan Investment Corp. each raised their targets to 3.8 million won. Eugene Investment & Securities set its target at 3.7 million won, while DS Investment & Securities placed it at 3.1 million won, reflecting expectations for the ongoing rally.
The prevailing view is that rising demand for High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), driven by the expansion of the Artificial Intelligence market, will strongly support earnings going forward.


moon@fnnews.com Moon Young-jin Reporter