1. Semiconductors

SK Hynix has finalised long-term supply agreements for its sixth-generation HBM4 memory chips with more than ten customers, including Nvidia and several large hyperscalers, as it accelerates mass-production ramp-up. Having brought yields up to the level achieved by its predecessor, HBM3E, the company is now on track to post quarterly revenue exceeding 100 trillion won for the first time in its history in the third quarter.

2. Substrates

Shares in Samsung Electro-Mechanics and LG Innotek surged roughly 14% apiece on the 5th — far outpacing the broader KOSPI — after reports emerged that both companies had secured the entire supply contract for camera modules for Tesla's driverless robotaxi, the Cybercab. The two firms are also pushing ahead with the commercialisation of glass substrates, running sample validation trials for global big-tech clients at pilot production lines in Sejong and Gumi.

3. Internet

Kakao has been selected to build a government-funded "AI Agent Marketplace" worth 11 billion won, commissioned by the Ministry of Science and ICT. The award reinforces Kakao's strategy of embedding AI agents within its KakaoTalk messaging platform, and signals the company's intent to press ahead with its AI roadmap despite ongoing labour disputes.

4. Renewable Energy

Concerns over falling solar-panel efficiency during South Korea's heatwave have drawn attention to the sector's growing scale. Cumulative installed solar capacity reached 33GW as of the 5th, up 2.3GW from the end of last year. The government reaffirmed its target of 100GW of renewable capacity by 2030, of which 87GW is to come from solar.

5. Power Equipment

South Korea's three leading power-equipment manufacturers have each raised their annual order targets as demand for transformers from AI data centres surges. Hyosung Heavy Industries lifted its target from 8.4 trillion won to 12 trillion won, while LS Electric alone booked 3.2 trillion won in orders in the first half of the year.

6. Shipbuilding

On the 4th, Hanwha Ocean won a contract worth 507.4 billion won to build three very large ammonia carriers (VLACs) for an African shipowner, bringing its total ammonia-carrier order book to ten vessels. On the same day, Samsung Heavy Industries secured a contract worth 484.8 billion won for one LNG floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU). Samsung Heavy has now fulfilled 72% of its full-year order target.

7. Defence

Vitzro Nextec signed a 53.5 billion won supply contract with Hanwha Aerospace on the 6th for engine components for the upgraded Nuri space launch vehicle. The combined order backlog of South Korea's four largest defence contractors has exceeded 120 trillion won, and defence exports are expected to set a new annual record this year.

8. Nuclear Energy

The government's 2026 tax reform package, announced on the 4th, designates small modular reactors (SMRs) as a nationally strategic technology, offering tax credits of up to 50% on research and development expenditure and up to 25% on facility investment. The Korea Nuclear Industry Council, whose membership spans 561 companies, issued a statement welcoming the move.

9. K-pop

August's comeback season is under way. Girl group Red Velvet released a summer mini-album on the 3rd, followed by rookie act AEN on the 5th and ARTMS and Stray Kids on the 7th.

10. Retail

Lotte Shopping reported preliminary second-quarter results on the 7th: revenue of 3.485 trillion won and operating profit of 89.9 billion won, up 121.2% year on year. Its department-store division posted a record quarterly revenue, driven by strong sales to foreign tourists and buoyant fashion spending. In contrast, e-commerce giant Coupang recorded an operating loss of 835 billion won in the second quarter — its worst quarterly deficit on record — after absorbing a fine of approximately 624.7 billion won for a personal data breach.

11. Leisure

Paradise, the casino and hospitality group, disclosed on the 5th that casino revenues in July reached 77.89 billion won, up 3.6% year on year. Cumulative casino revenues for the January-to-July period rose 4.6% year on year to 554.26 billion won, supported by an increase in foreign visitors, particularly from Japan.

13. Capital Markets

A proposed "share-price suppression" clause in the government's 2026 tax reform package has sparked fierce debate across political parties and financial markets. Under the proposal, listed companies whose price-to-book ratio (PBR) has languished in the bottom quartile (for KOSPI-listed firms) or bottom decile (for KOSDAQ) of their respective sectors over the past six years — or whose market capitalisation has fallen by more than 30% in the past year — would be deemed to have engaged in share-price suppression. In such cases, shares would be valued at a 30% premium for inheritance and gift-tax purposes, raising the tax burden on controlling shareholders.

The backlash has been swift. Even Lee So-young, a lawmaker from the ruling party, described the bill as "so deeply flawed that pointing out its problems feels almost pointless." A colleague, Lee Hoon-ki, introduced a rival amendment on the 5th using a PBR threshold of 0.8 times, which would capture around 1,300 companies — thirteen times the roughly 100 firms targeted under the government's version, highlighting the wide gap in approach within the ruling bloc itself.

Sceptics in the asset-management industry, including VIP Asset Management, argue that the measure would have only a limited corrective effect on stocks that have been chronically undervalued. Proponents counter that, once enacted, the law would discourage the practice of deliberately suppressing valuations ahead of ownership succession, offering a potential boost to low-PBR stocks.