[Market Focus] Monami Surges Over 13% After Trump Shows Interest in Korean Fountain Pen

Monami shares surged sharply in early trading on August 26. This appears to be due to a rush of investors after U.S. President Donald Trump showed great interest in the fountain pen used by President Lee Jaemyung during the South Korea-U.S. summit.

As of 9:35 a.m. on this day, Monami was trading at 2,245 won, up 263 won (13.27%) from the previous trading day. The stock price climbed as high as 2,435 won in early trading, marking an increase of over 20%.

On August 25 (local time), President Lee signed the White House guestbook just before the South Korea-U.S. summit. President Trump, who was watching nearby, showed interest in President Lee's brown signature pen. President Trump repeatedly commented, "Nice pen," and President Lee responded, "It will be useful for your signatures," gifting it to him on the spot.

President Trump then held up the pen to show those around him, saying, "I may not actually use it, but I will cherish this gift with great honor and appreciation."

Market participants interpreted the surge in buying as being driven by speculation that the pen might be a Monami product, or by heightened recognition of the competitiveness of Korean pens.

However, it has not been confirmed whether President Lee's pen was a Monami product.