As the KOSPI index topped 6,000 for the first time ever, a post about someone putting the entire 300 million won set aside for marriage into Korea's leading semiconductor stocks drew attention, sparking debate over investing funds with deadlines.
On the 26th, posts titled "Agreed with my girlfriend and split our saved marriage funds today into Samsung and Hynix half and half" were shared across online communities. The post was first uploaded to an anonymous workplace community on the 24th.
The poster, A, who identified as a civil servant, said, "After agreeing with my girlfriend, we invested 300 million won of our saved marriage funds, splitting it between Samsung Electronics and SK hynix." The purchase prices were 199,700 won for Samsung Electronics and 1,002,000 won for SK hynix, with 150 million won bought of each.
As for the investment goal, A said, "We both believe this 300 million won will become 1 billion won in a year," and added, "We thought hard about moving straight into a home in Seoul, but judged it was still the early phase of a bull market and an opportunity in the 'Korean stock market' new normal era."
On the 25th, the day after the buy, Samsung Electronics closed at 218,000 won, up 7.13% from the previous session, and SK hynix finished at 1,099,000 won, up 7.96%, both hitting record highs. That amounts to about 28 million won in paper gains in three days.
However, as external factors emerged — including a drop in Nvidia shares on the New York stock market on the 26th (local time) and the breakdown of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks — Korea's stock market opened lower on the morning of the 27th.
Online, reactions were split over A's investment approach. Some internet users voiced concern, saying, "You should not trade stocks with money that has a deadline," "This is called gambling," and "Bought at the top," while others responded, "There is still plenty of room to rise," and "Many people smiled after buying stocks instead of a newlywed home."
Brokerages say growth in the artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor market will likely continue for the time being, but also note investors should beware of potential increased volatility from fatigue after short-term surges and from external economic factors.