Koo Yoonchul Says "KOSPI PBR 10"... Cheon Haram Calls It "Appalling"

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yooncheol is facing criticism from both the political sphere and stock investors after commenting that the domestic stock market's price-to-book ratio (PBR) is "around 10."

According to relevant ministries on the 20th, during a National Assembly Strategy and Finance Committee meeting the previous day, Deputy Prime Minister Koo responded to a question from Lee Soyoung, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party, who asked, "Do you know what the KOSPI PBR is?" by saying, "Isn't it about 10?"

In response, Assemblywoman Lee pointed out, "It's 1.0. Taiwan's is 2.4, Japan's is 1.6, and the average for emerging markets is also 1.8."

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yooncheol is speaking at the Supply Chain Stabilization Committee held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 20th. 2025.8.20 Photo by Jo Yongjun

Currently, the KOSPI PBR is around 1, which is about ten times lower than Deputy Prime Minister Koo's answer. If the PBR were to reach 10, the KOSPI would surpass 30,000 points.

Chun Haram, floor leader of the Reform Party, criticized Deputy Prime Minister Koo, saying, "Doesn't this show a complete lack of even basic interest in the stock market? It is truly appalling."

As Deputy Prime Minister Koo's remarks became known, stock investors voiced their frustration, saying, "How can the nation's top economic official mention a PBR of 10 times?" Meanwhile, the domestic stock market has been on a downward trend for three consecutive days, affected by a sharp decline in U.S. tech stocks.