KH Explains In series
Major issues broken down to the basics.
#Explained
# Issues
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KH Explains In series
Major issues broken down to the basics.
Would you like to subscribe?
Samsung leveraged ETFs outtrade underlying shares; Tesla's never have
South Korea's newly launched single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds tied to Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are trading at levels rarely seen in major global markets, with turnover in some products already exceeding that of the underlying shares themselves. The development has raised concerns that trading in the products akin to derivatives could begin influencing the stocks they are designed to track — a dynamic that industry officials often describe as the "wag the dog" effect. Accordin
June 3, 2026 - 10:23:39
A sleepless Korean won: Will 24-hour trading pay off?
The Korean won is about to lose its bedtime as the country introduces round-the-clock trading of the currency against the US dollar next month. While trading of the won against the greenback, the world's dominant reserve currency, already operates for longer hours than exchanges involving other currencies, it will be extended to run 24 hours on weekdays starting July 6. The shift comes at a time when the local won is facing sustained depreciation pressure. On Tuesday, the currency was quoted at
June 2, 2026 - 15:23:47
On Blind, US workers fear layoffs while Koreans debate bonuses
In Silicon Valley, Blind has become a virtual space where tech workers ask who might be laid off next. The anonymous workplace platform, where employees verify their employer via company email before posting under company tags, has drawn attention in the US for its Tech Layoff Tracker, which lists confirmed and rumored job cuts. The New York Times recently highlighted Blind as a window into the souring mood across Big Tech. In South Korea, where Blind first took off before expanding to the US, t
May 28, 2026 - 15:13:06
Are foreigners really ditching Kospi — or doubling down?
Foreign investors may be selling South Korea hard, but they are sitting on a bigger slice of the market than before. The benchmark Kospi has been on a dizzying rally in recent sessions, hitting a fresh closing high of 8,228.7 and an intraday record of 8,457.09 on Wednesday. Yet foreign investors remained net sellers, unloading 449 billion won ($300 million) worth of shares during the session. The trend extends well beyond a single trading day. Over the past months, overseas investors appear to b
May 27, 2026 - 15:00:55
Decoding Shinsegae chair’s two apologies
Shinsegae Group Chair Chung Yong-jin on Tuesday stood in front of dozens of cameras, bowing in apology to take full responsibility of Starbucks Korea’s recent “Tank Day” marketing controversy. A week earlier, he released a written apology on May 19, the day after Starbucks Korea had come under fire for slogans that critics linked to the country’s pro-democracy movements in the 1980s. The overlapping parts in both apologies acknowledged that the incident left a deep scar on the souls and bereaved
May 27, 2026 - 14:58:04
Inside 'Perfect Crown' controversy: Why its portrayal of Joseon royal rituals sparks outrage in Korea
“Perfect Crown,” one of the biggest K-dramas of the first half of 2026 starring IU and Byeon Woo-seok, is facing mounting backlash over its depiction of royal traditions, with potential repercussions including the repayment of government production funding. The series performed strongly during its broadcast run. According to Nielsen Korea, the final episode, which aired on May 16, recorded a nationwide rating of 13.8 percent, up 0.3 percentage points from episode 11’s 13.5 percent, marking a ser
May 22, 2026 - 16:56:01
Samsung chip bonus breakdown: How new payout formula works
Samsung Electronics’ memory-chip employees could receive close to 600 million won ($398,900) each in combined incentives this year, while colleagues in loss-making chip units may receive less than a third of that amount. The gap is built into the bonus formula at the center of Samsung’s tentative labor deal, which creates a floor for all semiconductor employees but lets memory business staff earn far more because the biggest portion of a workers' bonus is tied to the performance of the business
May 21, 2026 - 15:13:27
Who built Samsung’s AI boom? Bonus split divides chip unit
Samsung Electronics has spent years selling the AI chip market a promise of integration. Memory. Logic design. Foundry manufacturing. Advanced research. One company for customers trying to secure the chips behind artificial intelligence. Inside Samsung, that same promise has become difficult to price. The last-minute mediation that collapsed Wednesday did not break down simply over the size of a bonus. By the end, the fight had narrowed to how far profits from the AI memory boom should travel in
May 20, 2026 - 15:12:57
Could Starbucks buy back Korean business after marketing fiasco?
The fallout from Starbucks Korea’s controversial “Tank Day” marketing campaign is drawing renewed attention to a high-stakes ownership agreement that could become a major financial risk for Emart and its parent, Shinsegae Group. In July 2021, Emart acquired an additional 700,000 shares in unlisted Starbucks Korea from Starbucks Coffee International, the overseas business and licensing arm of Starbucks, for 474.3 billion won ($314 million). This raised its stake to 67.5 percent to secure manageme
May 20, 2026 - 14:26:19
Samsung strike fears ripple across Korea Inc.
South Korea’s industrial backbone is facing its most serious wave of labor unrest in years, raising fears of disruptions to global technology and automotive supply chains at a critical moment for the economy. At the center of the tensions is Samsung Electronics, where workers are preparing for an unprecedented 18-day strike beginning Thursday. The company’s largest labor union is demanding the removal of the current cap on performance bonuses and a new system that would allocate up to 15 percent
May 19, 2026 - 15:21:33
Tesla gets reality check on battery self-sufficiency
When Tesla unveiled its ambitious 4680 battery program in 2020, Elon Musk promised nothing short of a “revolution.” The larger cylindrical cells — 46 millimeters in width and 80 millimeters in length — were supposed to slash costs, boost driving range and help Tesla reduce reliance on outside battery suppliers. But recent developments suggest that achieving the company’s long-promised battery independence may be proving far more difficult than Musk envisioned — underscoring the technological edg
May 19, 2026 - 10:05:25
Why Samsung’s bonus talks keep breaking down over the same points
Samsung Electronics and its majority union returned to mediation Monday, three days before a planned 18-day strike by as many as 50,000 workers, with negotiators still circling the same disagreement that has broken every previous round. The gap is not about how much; it is about how. The union wants 15 percent of the chip division's operating profit codified as the bonus pool and the existing cap, set at 50 percent of annual salary, abolished. Management's latest offer keeps the cap and the curr
May 18, 2026 - 15:46:24
Why Korean refiners aren’t celebrating their earnings boom
Soaring oil prices fueled by conflict in the Middle East have driven a sharp rebound in first-quarter earnings across the global energy industry, benefiting not only oil-producing giants but also South Korean refiners that import and process crude oil. Still, analysts caution that the strong profits posted by Korean refiners are fundamentally different from those of global oil majors, given that a significant share of the gains is driven by short-term inventory accounting effects rather than fun
May 13, 2026 - 15:15:53
Korea opens stock rally to 10 million foreign trading accounts
South Korean brokerages are betting that the retail expansion of omnibus accounts for foreign investors could trigger a wave of overseas money into the local stock market, with industry officials expecting as many as 10 million additional foreign retail accounts to gain access to Korean equities. The growing optimism has turned omnibus accounts into one of the hottest themes in Korea’s brokerage industry, with Samsung Securities and Hana Securities emerging as early frontrunners after securing p
May 10, 2026 - 15:59:28
At Samsung, even best engineers are fighting to believe in staying
A Samsung Electronics engineer once saw his “core talent” contract as proof that the company wanted him to stay. The extra pay helped. The label mattered because it suggested that Samsung knew which engineers were hard to replace and would treat them that way. That belief has since been strained. “Watching how Samsung has handled the bonus fight lately, I’ve lost a lot of affection for the company,” said the employee, who asked not to be named because he is not authorized to speak publicly. “Now
May 10, 2026 - 14:12:28
