Lee Jae-myung, South Korea's leading presidential candidate, has vowed to eliminate the "Korea Discount" by reforming shareholder laws and boosting market value, aiming to double the stock index and win support from retail investors.
South Korea's top presidential candidate, Lee Jae-myung, has pledged to revive legislation aimed at limiting the power of controlling shareholders to improve the country’s stock market and eliminate the so-called "Korea Discount". This term refers to the tendency of South Korean companies to trade at lower valuations than global counterparts, partly due to the dominance of large, family-run conglomerates.
Lee, a liberal candidate and leader of the Democratic Party, announced plans to double the value of the main stock index and appeal to the nation’s 14 million retail investors, often referred to as "ants". He declared that I will end the "Korea Discount" era and usher in a new era of the "Korea Premium".
In March, the Democratic Party-led parliament passed an amendment to the Commercial Act to strengthen protections for minority shareholders. However, the acting president, Han Duck-soo, vetoed the bill, citing concerns over its potential to hinder corporate decision-making. Business lobby groups also opposed the measure.
Last year, the government introduced a voluntary plan encouraging companies to enhance shareholder value, but critics called it ineffective. Many experts believe that revising the Commercial Act would be a stronger step toward improving corporate governance.
Lee also committed to creating a roadmap for achieving developed market status from Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI). He pointed to the recent lifting of a five-year ban on short-selling, previously criticized by MSCI, as progress.
A stock trader himself, Lee said he would take firm action against stock manipulation and other market abuses. Following his remarks, the KOSPI index briefly rose by 0.6%, though it later leveled out.
Lee secured a significant win in the Democratic Party’s second primary round and is expected to become the party’s official presidential nominee on April 27. A recent Realmeter poll shows him leading the race with over 50% support, far ahead of conservative rival Kim Moon-soo, who has 12%.
South Korea’s chief trade negotiator, Yeo Han-koo, will travel to the United States from June 22 to 27 for a new round of high-level discussions aimed at resolving escalating trade tensions, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on Saturday.
South Korea on Friday pushed back against U.S. demands to sharply increase its defense budget, saying its current spending is already among the highest relative to GDP for U.S. allies.
South Korea’s new administration proposed $14.7 billion in additional spending on Thursday to boost weak domestic demand, as President Lee Jae Myung pushes economic recovery as his top priority.
North Korea launched over 10 rockets from near Pyongyang on Thursday, prompting fresh concerns in the region.
South Korea, the U.S., and Japan held their first joint air drills since President Lee Jae Myung took office, signalling security cooperation even as Seoul seeks renewed dialogue with North Korea.
Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) held talks on advancing cooperation in decarbonization, renewable energy and modernization of the country’s power infrastructure.
Meta has teamed up with Oakley to release AI-powered smart glasses, expanding its push into wearable tech after the success of Ray-Ban Meta glasses. The social media company is expanding its partnership with Oakley and Ray-Ban-parent EssilorLuxottica.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has announced plans to invite Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Armenia for the European Political Community (EPC) summit, scheduled for spring 2026 in Yerevan.
Uzbekistan’s Uzatom Agency and Russia’s Rosatom signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly develop radiation processing technologies for medical and agricultural sectors.
Baku hosted 14th meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Cooperation between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Azerbaijan. The delegations were headed by Uzbekistan’s Minister Laziz Kudratov and Azerbaijan’s Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov.
Iranian missiles struck multiple locations across Israel and neighbouring regions early Friday morning, including a Microsoft office complex, according to emergency responders and local media reports.
Peace is no longer a dream. It is a discussion. On the streets of Baku and Yerevan, it is also a question, of trust, of foreign interests, and of who truly wants it.
A high-speed tram derailment in central Gothenburg, Sweden, has left at least eight people injured late on Thursday (19 June), after the vehicle slammed into a snack bar on Avenyn Avenue.
The 2025 G7 Leaders’ Summit was held June 15–17 in Kananaskis, Alberta, under Canada’s presidency. Prime Minister Mark Carney framed the meeting around priorities of protecting communities, energy and climate security, the digital transition, and future partnerships.
The USS Nimitz is heading to the Middle East amid tensions between Israel and Iran. The U.S. aircraft carrier has a decades-long history in the region, from the 1979 hostage crisis to modern deployments, often serving as a key asset during periods of rising friction with Iran.
Orkhan Nazarli, Head of Azerbaijan’s State Tax Service under the Ministry of Economy, held separate meetings with senior tax officials from Latvia and Montenegro during the 29th General Assembly of the Intra-European Organization of Tax Administrations (IOTA) in Baku.
The OIC's 51st ministerial session convenes in Istanbul to tackle pressing global and regional issues.
Japan has reportedly cancelled a planned high-level security meeting with the United States after Washington pressed Tokyo to increase its defense spending, according to the Financial Times.
Israel announced on Saturday that it had killed senior Iranian commander Saeed Izadi, head of the Palestine Corps of Iran’s Quds Force, in a targeted strike in Qom. Izadi was accused of supporting Hamas before its October 2023 attack on Israel.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine is accelerating the development and production of interceptor drones to defend against the growing number of Iranian-made Shahed drones used by Russia in recent attacks.
Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) held talks on advancing cooperation in decarbonization, renewable energy and modernization of the country’s power infrastructure.
Meta has teamed up with Oakley to release AI-powered smart glasses, expanding its push into wearable tech after the success of Ray-Ban Meta glasses. The social media company is expanding its partnership with Oakley and Ray-Ban-parent EssilorLuxottica.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has announced plans to invite Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Armenia for the European Political Community (EPC) summit, scheduled for spring 2026 in Yerevan.
Uzbekistan’s Uzatom Agency and Russia’s Rosatom signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly develop radiation processing technologies for medical and agricultural sectors.
Baku hosted 14th meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Cooperation between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Azerbaijan. The delegations were headed by Uzbekistan’s Minister Laziz Kudratov and Azerbaijan’s Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment