Kim Yongbeom: "Stock Market Paradigm Has Shifted... Toward Korea's New Normal"

Kim Yongbeom, Chief of Policy Office, shares message on social media
Stocks ranked as the most advantageous investment method
"What we need is the resilience of the capital market"

Kim Yongbeom, Chief of Policy Office, is briefing on the meeting between President Lee Jae-myung and Masayoshi Son, Chairman of SoftBank Group, at the Yongsan Presidential Office press conference room on the 5th. Photo by Yonhap News

Kim Yongbeom, Chief of Policy Office at the Presidential Office, stated on February 1 that the increased preference for the Korean stock market signifies that "the paradigm has already shifted." He added that the key issue now is how to solidify this transformed Korean capital market.

On this day, Kim posted on his Facebook page an article titled "A Society Where Stocks Are the Most Preferred Investment Method," sharing these views. He emphasized, "The fact that stocks are now the number one preferred investment is not the result of a random rally," and analyzed, "It is the outcome of four gears-systemic improvements, the substance of companies, the status of industries, and perceptions of capital-finally meshing together in the same direction."

Along with his post, Kim cited a Korea Gallup survey from July of last year, which showed that, for the first time, stocks ranked as the "most advantageous investment method" at 31%. According to the January 2026 survey, the proportion favoring stocks had increased to 37%. Kim argued that, considering this, the preference for the stock market is not a temporary shift but "a trend."

Kim stressed, "What is more important is that this change is accompanied by a strong 'substance.'" Regarding the changing status of domestic companies such as those in the semiconductor and automotive sectors, he remarked, "These are no longer large-cap stocks confined to the domestic market," adding, "Their profit structures have become more robust, their technological moats have deepened, and their market positions have entered a different stage compared to the past."

Kim further stated, "The question is clear. It is not whether the change has begun, but how to cement this already transformed framework." He explained, "Whether we let this trend dissipate as another speculative phase, or establish it as a productive, finance- and capital market-centered advanced economy structure, is now a matter of systems and choices."

Kim went on to say, "What we need is not a higher index number. It is the resilience of the capital market to connect the energy of this already-shifted asset perception to innovation and growth." He concluded, "The paradigm has already shifted. What remains is to decide whether this change will remain a temporary record of an era or become the new normal for the Korean economy."