K-Shipbuilding's 100-Ship Run: The Only Sector Thriving
K-Shipbuilding's 100-Ship, 28 Trillion Won Supercycle: The Only Sector Thriving as Global Markets Crumble On a day when KOSPI dropped another 3.25%, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries rose 4.2%. Hanwha Ocean gained 3.8%. Samsung Heavy Industries added 2.9%. The Big Three Korean shipbuilders — the only major sector in positive territory on May 19 — are riding a structural supercycle that the broader market turmoil has barely touched. In the three months from March through May 2026, these three companies have booked a combined 100 ships worth 28 trillion won (about $20.5 billion). Their annual order targets are already within reach with more than half the year still to go. The global backdrop, meanwhile, is the kind of synchronized selloff that normally drags everything down with it. Taiwan's TAIEX fell 0.68%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped 1.11% to 25,675. Li Auto cratered 14%, TSMC shed 1.1%. Japan's Nikkei plunged 5%, threatening the 32,000 level. The Japan 30-year JGB...