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President Lee outlines 'Kospi 5,000' vision in meeting with securities firms

Published: 18 Sep. 2025, 18:10 Updated: 18 Sep. 2025, 20:29

SARAH KIM
[email protected]

President Lee Jae Myung, second from left, speaks at a luncheon meeting with research center heads at security firms at the Yongsan presidential office in central Seoul on Sept. 18. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Lee Jae Myung pledged to boost the stock market as he outlined his vision to usher in the era of "Kospi 5,000" within his five-year term, emphasizing transparency and building stability on the Korean Peninsula during a meeting with executives of securities firms on Thursday.

Lee underscored the need to "eliminate stock manipulation and unfair disclosures," adding that "significant progress has been made in that regard" in a luncheon meeting with the heads of research centers from 15 securities firms at the Yongsan presidential office in central Seoul.

The president said that a return to the domestic stock market should mark "a sign of intelligence," as the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) gained 1.4 percent, closing at a new high of 3,461.30 Thursday.

Lee called for a predictable, rational, and stable market environment by eliminating unfair trade practices, opaque management and irrational decision-making systems.

He noted that such goals are being realized through revisions to the Commercial Act. Such revisions include better protection of minority shareholders through expanding the fiduciary duties of corporate board members to all shareholders.

"With just a few more measures, I believe we'll be able to completely fix such structural irrationalities," Lee said.

He further emphasized the need for rational economic and industrial policies and the reduction of military tensions on the Korean Peninsula to create a more stable investment environment.

"There is a lot of money in Korea, but where is it going?" Lee said. "So far, it has mostly been concentrated in real estate investment and speculation, which I believe is making the national economy unstable."

He stressed that revitalizing the stock market is a viable alternative investment vehicle for the public, noting that "some progress has been made so far, fortunately."

Lee called for the normalization of the stock market, stressing that he hopes to "work together to create a world where everyone can live a decent life and achieve sustainable growth."

Attendees included executives from Mirae Asset Securities, Samsung Securities, Korea Investment and Securities, NH Investment and Securities, KB Securities, Hanwha Investment and Securities, Hyundai Motor Securities, Morgan Stanley Securities and SK Securities.

The participants discussed their views on invigorating the stock market, deregulation, increasing dividends and nurturing startups, according to a statement from presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung. Lee, in turn, reviewed the potential impact of the proposals, referring to examples from advanced economies, and instructed his aides to review their feasibility.

Lee also disclosed he made a 26.4 percent return on exchange-traded funds (ETFs) as of Thursday, Kang said.

Ahead of the presidential election in early June, Lee purchased some 40 million won ($28,860) worth of ETFs in May in keeping with his campaign pledge to bring a Kospi 5,000 era, pledging to invest another 1 million won every month over the next five years if elected. Over four months, his ETF investment yielded a profit of some 11.6 million won, she said.

Lee later met with Michael Sandel, a political philosophy professor at Harvard University, to discuss their views on justice, democracy and society.

President Lee Jae Myung, rights, talks with Michael Sandel, a political philosophy professor at Harvard University, at the Yongsan presidential office in central Seoul on Sept. 18. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

BY SARAH KIM [[email protected]]