Lee Jae-yong's "No Time, Get In!" Meme Goes Viral in the Era of 180,000-won Samsung Electronics

Intraday market cap jumps to 14th globally
Investors pin hopes for further gains on memes

On the 13th, as Samsung Electronics' share price hit a record high by surpassing the 180,000 won range for the first time ever, parody images featuring Chairman Lee Jae-yong began spreading across social media and online communities. With memes that combine investors' expectations and humor emerging, they are becoming a fresh talking point alongside the share price surge.

Early in the session that day, Samsung Electronics touched 184,400 won, setting an all-time intraday high. It closed the regular session at 181,200 won, surpassing the previous day's 178,600 won and ushering in the era of "180,000-won Samsung Electronics." During trading, its market capitalization reached about 849.2 billion dollars (approximately 1,225.65 trillion won), pushing it past JPMorgan Chase to 14th place in the global corporate rankings.

Along with the sharp rise in the share price, AI-based memes featuring Chairman Lee Jae-yong spread rapidly online. In the images, he appears in a sports car against a battlefield-like backdrop with flames shooting up, reaching out his hand and saying, "No time to explain, get in quickly." Investors interpret this scene as a metaphor urging them to jump on the rising share price, and comments such as "Bro, I'm getting in right away," "Is it still possible to get on board now?" and "Does this mean it could go up to 300,000 won?" reflect a mix of expectations and jokes.

Samsung Electronics has had a long-standing meme culture. A representative example is the "Grandpa of 100,000-won Samsung Electronics," which appeared back when the share price repeatedly tumbled just short of 100,000 won. In this meme, an optimistic grandfather says, "Samsung Electronics will hit 100,000 won," while his daughter, saying "Here he goes again," feeds him rice porridge, satirizing both investors' anxiety and excessive optimism.

In another meme, a man is portrayed as Samsung Electronics and a hesitant investor is portrayed as a woman. As the man gradually transforms, he tries to persuade her to invest, saying, "Will you give me a chance?" but the woman, judging that the price is at a peak, hesitates. After the share price breaks through 170,000 won, the man drives a sports car and shouts, "Watch if you want," poking fun at investors who are still on the sidelines.

Analysts say that the strong rally was largely driven by Samsung Electronics' shipment of the world's first mass-produced HBM4 (6th-generation High Bandwidth Memory) to Nvidia the previous day. Although the New York stock market overnight was weak on concerns over the profitability of AI companies, domestic semiconductor stocks maintained a solid trend, with both Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix posting gains.

The securities industry believes there is still room for Samsung Electronics' share price to rise further. However, some analysts note that in the short term, extended market closure during the Lunar New Year holidays and volatility factors such as the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) remain, which could slow the pace of the rally as foreign investors take profits.