President Lee Jae-myung: "Korean capital markets remain undervalued"
President Lee Jae-myung said on the 12th that South Korea's capital market remains an undervalued, attractive investment destination, and pledged to speed up innovation in the capital market ecosystem. Calling the market undervalued means that corporate value is not properly reflected in stock prices. At a meeting with senior secretaries at the presidential office in Cheong Wa Dae on the afternoon of the 12th, President Lee diagnosed that "while the domestic market is heavily affected by external instability, it remains undervalued in terms of macroeconomic fundamentals and corporate competitiveness." He stressed that the government "will focus on creating an environment in which the capital market is properly valued."
President Lee assessed that "three rounds of amendments to the Commercial Code since the government took office have increased transparency in corporate governance and diversified protections for shareholder rights," but noted that "there is still a long way to go." He said reforms to enhance corporate value and expand shareholder returns would be pursued consistently and swiftly. He pledged to "press ahead with developing the KOSDAQ market and innovating the venture capital ecosystem so that companies with innovative technologies can raise capital smoothly."
President Lee said that "for all citizens to equally enjoy the opportunities and fruits of growth, every region must become a leading player in economic development," calling for the development of strategic industries that maximize each region's unique strengths, along with focused fiscal and financial support and regulatory reform. Regarding the three mega projects, he urged the presidential office and the government to seek creative, bold solutions that go beyond existing practices and constraints.
President Lee said that "as the AI-driven transformation of industrial structure accelerates, efforts to upgrade existing core industries become all the more urgent," and instructed officials to prepare measures to strengthen capabilities in traditional manufacturing sectors such as automobiles, shipbuilding, steel and petrochemicals. For the automobile sector, which has large ripple effects across industries, he called for "active and bold measures to secure world-class competitiveness in electric and autonomous vehicles as well."
