Asia's Largest IR Event 'Korea Premium Week' Opens: President Lee Says, "Fundamental Capital Market Reform Has Produced Results"

[Financial News] 'Korea Premium Week 2026,' the first integrated investor relations (IR) event showcasing South Korea's capital market to global investors, opened on the 28th. The event brings together capital market programs previously held separately by the government, the exchange and listed companies. The initiative aims to highlight changes and investment opportunities in the Korean market while developing the event into a regular channel for communication with overseas investors.■ President Lee: "Fundamental Capital Market Reform Has Produced Results"In a video address at the opening ceremony of Korea Premium Week held at Lotte Hotel Seoul in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 28th, President Lee Jae-myung said, "The government has pursued sweeping institutional reforms to eliminate the 'Korea Discount,' which has been identified as a structural limitation of the domestic capital market, and turn it into a 'Korea Premium.'" He added, "We have focused our capabilities on fundamentally improving the capital market's structure and resilience, and I believe we have achieved substantial results."
Lee Eok-won said, "Korea Premium Week is the nation's flagship capital-market IR event, showcasing South Korea's entire capital market to the world. We will hold the event regularly and develop it into a global IR brand representing the Korean capital market."
Korea Premium Week will run for three weeks, from the 28th through the 16th of next month. Forty-two organizations, including stock-market-related institutions, financial investment firms and media outlets, along with 55 listed companies, will participate and hold approximately 25 events. During the first week, a global conference for institutional investors will discuss capital and foreign-exchange market reforms, improvements to corporate governance, extended trading hours, a shorter settlement cycle and ways to strengthen KOSDAQ's competitiveness. IR sessions featuring listed companies such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, as well as an asset management program for individual investors, will also be held.
During the second week, a seminar assessing KOSDAQ's revitalization and IR sessions for KONEX- and KOSDAQ-listed companies will take place. The third week will feature private-sector events led by securities firms and asset management companies, along with a global bond market forum.
The opening ceremony was attended by Yutaka Ito, commissioner of the Financial Services Agency of Japan, as well as officials from global financial firms including Goldman Sachs and BlackRock. Representatives of major global financial market institutions, including the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI), Nasdaq and S&P Dow Jones Indices, also attended the event.■ FSC: "Measures to Counter Market-Distorting Activities, Including High-Frequency Trading, Being Prepared"In his welcoming remarks, Eunbo Jeong, chairman of the Korea Exchange (KRX), said, "This month, the Korea Exchange opened an after-hours market, the first of its kind among Asian exchanges, allowing trading after the regular market closes. We will gradually expand it into a 24-hour trading system and pursue a shorter settlement cycle to establish an advanced trading environment."
A policy session also discussed capital market reform tasks and future implementation plans aimed at eliminating the Korea Discount. Byeon Je-ho, director general of the FSC's Capital Markets Bureau, said, "The KOSDAQ market contains a mix of high-quality innovative companies and distressed firms, preventing even strong companies from receiving fair valuations. We will introduce a separate segment focused on high-quality innovative companies and strengthen the delisting of distressed and low-market-capitalization companies to enhance market confidence." Regarding the recent increase in stock market volatility, he stressed, "Markets must grow based not on the power of leverage but on corporate earnings and investors' own funds."
The FSC also plans to manage leveraged investment products and margin trading while reviewing measures to counter market-distorting activities, including high-frequency trading and influencers' indiscriminate investment recommendations. It will continue pursuing existing initiatives, such as strengthening disclosures on changes in corporate governance, introducing an on-demand dividend system, establishing a productive-finance ISA and converting retirement pensions into funds.
[email protected] Lee Jeong-hwa Reporter