Brokerages hit jackpot as retail investors borrow more to chase Korea's stock rally

A single post uploaded May 8 by a Korean civil servant on Blind, the anonymous workplace community app, quickly set off a frenzy online. The post included a screenshot of his brokerage account showing he had poured a staggering 2.3 billion won ($1.7 million) into shares of semiconductor giant SK hynix, one of the key driving forces behind Korea’s roaring stock market. Even more striking, 1.7 billion won of that investment was financed through margin loans borrowed from his brokerage. “I believe the semiconductor market will continue its upward climb through 2028, but I’m taking a more aggressive approach to grow my assets faster,” he wrote. Four days later, on May 12, he returned with an update claiming he had already locked in 267 million won in profits. That same day, another Blind post surfaced — this time from a Seoul Metro employee in her 20s, who wrote that rather than missing out on the rally, she would “risk complete collapse,” adding that she had used 150 percent margin financing to fully leverage into stocks. As Korea’s bull market barrels ahead, more retail inve

Original source: Korea Times