KOSPI 8,000 Era: Korea's Extreme Market Polarization Deepens
KOSPI closed at 8,639.38 on June 4, 2026, down 1.83% from the prior session. Just ten days earlier, on May 25, the index touched an all-time high near 8,800. To understand the magnitude of this rally, consider where KOSPI stood just twelve months ago: approximately 2,700. That means Korea's benchmark equity index has more than tripled in one year, surging over 220% since the new administration took office in mid-2025. Total market capitalization ballooned from roughly 2,700 trillion won to 7,600 trillion won — an addition of approximately 4.9 quadrillion won in market value. This vaulted Korea past India to become the world's sixth-largest equity market by capitalization, trailing only the US, China, Japan, Hong Kong, and the UK. But beneath this headline sits a deeply uncomfortable structural reality: two companies — Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix — now account for over half of the entire Korean stock market's value. Foreign Exodus at Unprecedented Scale Foreign i...