'Korea Premium Week 2026' opens in Seoul
Government, companies and institutions unite for first integrated IR event
42 organizations and 55 listed firms take part
Herald Money Festa also on the agenda
"Capital markets are more than a venue for transactions — they are the core engine that awakens a nation's growth potential and breathes life into future industries. The government has focused on sweeping systemic reforms to overcome the 'Korea discount' that has long held back our capital markets and move toward a 'Korea premium,' and we have achieved significant results."
President Lee Jae Myung delivered those remarks Monday via video message at the opening ceremony of Korea Premium Week 2026, held at Lotte Hotel Seoul in Jung-gu, Seoul. Lee said the government had "achieved fundamental improvements — strengthening shareholder protections through amendments to the Commercial Act and restoring market trust by rooting out unfair trading practices."
Lee added that the inaugural event was "a meaningful occasion to share our innovative vision and outstanding potential with global investors as we announce a new leap forward for South Korea's capital markets." He said he hoped participants would "confirm the dynamism of our market and discover promising investment opportunities through diverse meetings and exchanges," and pledged that the government would "do its utmost to build the most attractive, transparent and fair market in Asia."
Korea Premium Week 2026, which opened Monday, is the first integrated event in which the government, listed companies and financial institutions have joined forces as a single team to promote the appeal of South Korea's capital markets to the world. It consolidates investor relations events and conferences that had previously been held separately by individual organizations, under the slogan "Gateway to Asia's most dynamic capital market."
The Financial Services Commission and Korea Exchange are co-organizing the event, with 42 organizations — including stock market-related bodies, the financial investment industry and media outlets — and 55 listed companies taking part. A total of 25 programs will run over three weeks through Oct. 16.
FSC Chairman Lee Eok-won, in his opening address, described Korea Premium Week as "a national flagship integrated IR that brings together government policy, market developments and corporate value — going far beyond individual company IR events — and a large-scale platform for communication."
He said the Kospi, "which had been trapped in a trading range for years, has posted the highest gain among major economies since the government took office, and its market capitalization ranking has risen, elevating its global standing." According to the FSC, the Kospi's gain since the government took office stood at 152.9 percent as of Tuesday, far outpacing major markets including the United States (27.9 percent), Japan (72.2 percent) and the United Kingdom (22.8 percent).
Lee said three rounds of Commercial Act amendments and the launch of a joint task force against share-price manipulation had put market rules on firmer footing, and that companies had "begun responding in a shareholder-friendly manner through expanded dividends and share buybacks and cancellations." He said the government would "coldly diagnose challenges to overcome — including rising international oil prices, global interest rate hike pressures and semiconductor uncertainty — and steadily embed improvements to the capital market's fundamentals to strengthen its substance." He went on to say the government intended to hold the event annually and "grow it into a global brand representing South Korea's capital markets."
Korea Exchange Chairman Jeong Eun-bo, who co-organized the event, outlined plans to modernize trading infrastructure and lead the way in future finance. Jeong said the exchange had "opened an after-market session following regular trading hours this September — the first among Asian exchanges to do so — and plans to expand this step by step into a 24-hour trading system." He added that the exchange would work with other Asian bourses to shorten the stock settlement cycle and build an advanced trading environment.
Jeong also said the exchange would "proactively build and operate a security token offering (STO) platform in partnership with related institutions and the financial investment industry, in line with the spread of digital assets," and would "lead technological innovation by broadly integrating AI into disclosure and market surveillance."
At the opening ceremony, National Assembly Political Affairs Committee Chairman Yoo Dong-su and Seo Il-jun, who leads the opposition's side on the committee, delivered congratulatory speeches, as did Japan Financial Services Agency Commissioner Ito Yutaka. Goldman Sachs Asia-Pacific (ex-Japan) President Kevin Sneider and BlackRock Global Partners Office co-head Jude Abdel Majeïd spoke as special guests.
International Organization of Securities Commissions Chairman Jean-Paul Servais and Ken Fisher — founder and chairman of Fisher Investments and a well-known Wall Street figure — offered congratulatory video messages celebrating the rise of South Korea's capital markets and the launch of the integrated conference.
Representatives from major global financial institutions also attended, including the UN Principles for Responsible Investment, NASDAQ, S&P, the Dow Jones index and the Asia Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association.
The event runs Monday through Oct. 16 over three weeks — a core week followed by two sub-weeks — with 25 programs in total. The first week focuses on sessions targeting global institutional investors. Opening-day discussions cover capital and foreign exchange market reform and progress on corporate governance improvements; Tuesday's agenda takes up infrastructure upgrades including extended trading hours and a shorter settlement cycle, as well as measures to strengthen Kosdaq's competitiveness. Investor relations sessions and one-on-one meetings with major listed companies, including Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, are also scheduled.
Wednesday features a tailored asset management seminar for retail investors, and Thursday brings the Korea Exchange's "Sound Market Forum" on eradicating unfair trading and protecting investors. On Friday, Busan hosts a derivatives and maritime finance seminar alongside the Herald Money Festa 2026, organized by The Herald Business.
Now in its third year, Money Festa runs Friday and Saturday under the theme "Money Rebalancing: Recalibrating the Weight of Your Assets." Personal finance experts and seasoned investors will gather to discuss strategies for growing wealth through investment products including real estate, shares and virtual assets.
In the second week, a Kosdaq market assessment seminar and IR sessions for Konex and Kosdaq-listed companies are planned, while the third and final week closes out the event with privately led financial seminars and a global bond market forum.
jiyun@heraldcorp.com
moon@heraldcorp.com
