Public Servant ALL in Marriage Housing Fund buys Samsung and SK Hynix, Korean stocks hit circuit breaker twice in two weeks of entry

South Korean community groups have recently been buzzing about an investment story. A civil servant and his girlfriend agreed to invest all of their 300 million KRW (approximately NT$640,000) intended for their wedding and new house purchase into the stock market, buying shares in Samsung and SK Hynix, two major giants. However, within just two weeks of posting, the Korean stock market Kospi index dropped over 18%, and the market triggered the circuit breaker twice.

(Korean stock market hits circuit breaker again, Taiwan stocks fall over 2,000 points, TSMC drops below NT$1,800)

Korean civil servant’s house fund turns into stock trading sensation

On Korea’s anonymous forum Blind, a user claiming to be a civil servant, A, posted on February 26 saying that after discussing with his girlfriend, he decided to invest all 300 million KRW set aside for their wedding and a new house in Seoul into the stock market, evenly split between Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. He stated in the post that he believed the market was still in the early stage of a bull run, so he chose not to buy a house for now but to invest in stocks instead. He believed that in a year, 300 million KRW could turn into 1 billion KRW.

This post quickly spread across major Korean forums and social media platforms, becoming a hot topic of discussion.

Netizens trapped! After posting, Korean markets hit circuit breaker twice, down 18%

However, shortly after the post was made, the Korean stock market experienced intense volatility. On February 26, the Kospi closed at about 6,313 points, and by March 9, it closed at around 5,251 points, a decline of approximately 18.3% in just two weeks. During this period, the market triggered the circuit breaker twice; on March 4 and March 9, the Kospi plunged over 8% at one point, halting trading for 20 minutes. Leading stocks also saw significant declines, with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix both dropping over 20%. The user was caught at the peak.

The user’s response after the March 4 circuit breaker: Market is normal adjustment

A’s actions drew mixed reactions online. Critics argued that this investment approach was too risky:

“Invest with leftover funds, not money with a clear purpose.”

“You shouldn’t gamble with money that has a deadline.”

“What if you get stuck?”

“Diversify investments and keep cash on hand.”

Some questioned the market’s extreme volatility, worried about holding long-term in such a rollercoaster market.

However, some investors supported his decision, believing that in an environment of rising housing prices, replacing real estate investment with stocks was not impossible.

“There’s still a lot of room for growth.”

“Many people are actually using stocks as a substitute for buying a house for their wedding.”

After the circuit breaker on March 4, many netizens started to inquire about A’s investment status. Facing the market correction, he responded, “It’s just a correction, I will hold on,” emphasizing that he would “존버 (hold long-term),” and wouldn’t sell stocks due to short-term fluctuations. However, this response drew more criticism. Some users believed that, given the intense market volatility, putting all wedding house funds into a single industry stock was close to high-risk gambling.

This article Civil Servant ALL IN Wedding Fund Buys Samsung and SK Hynix, Market Hits Circuit Breaker Twice in Two Weeks was first published on Chain News ABMedia.