Ideas
KOSPI uptrend intact, 5,000 possible.
KOSPI rose to 4,700 despite persistent foreign selling because institutions are absorbing supply and semiconductor/supercycle leadership remains intact. The speaker sees broad rotation and expects further upside toward 5,000, with FX stabilization potentially bringing foreigners back.
KOSDAQ lags but should catch up.
KOSDAQ has lagged KOSPI, but by January-March the speaker expects it to challenge the 1,000 level as liquidity rotates from large caps into laggards. He later explicitly says to watch KOSDAQ ETFs, not inverse.
Securities stocks benefit from trading volume.
Korean securities stocks have consolidated and should eventually rally as trading volume increases and the government pushes longer trading hours, which would improve brokerage revenue.
Kia stake in Boston Dynamics undervalued.
Kia holds about 30% of HMG Global, equivalent to roughly 16% of Boston Dynamics. The speaker argues the market is only now reflecting Boston Dynamics' value in Kia, and foreign supply has been strong, supporting a re-rating.
Hyundai Motor robot value drives re-rating.
Hyundai Motor is re-rating as the market begins to value its robotics/Boston Dynamics exposure rather than treating it as a low-multiple automaker. The speaker is positive but warns related auto-parts/robot small caps are volatile and easy to chase.
Hanwha split removes discount, boosts value.
Hanwha's human split should reduce the conglomerate discount, clarify succession, and separate stable defense/shipbuilding/energy assets from machinery/service/life assets. The planned buyback/cancellation of nearly 6% of shares and an undervalued consolidated base support upside.
Korean holding companies gain on governance reform.
The Hanwha split and buyback sparked a broader holding-company rally because it highlighted governance reform and shareholder-return potential. SK and HD Hyundai also moved as investors re-rated holding companies.
SK Inc buyback upside from treasury shares.
SK Inc has the highest treasury-share ratio among major holding companies at about 24%, giving it strong upside from buybacks/cancellation and holding-company re-rating. The speaker sees its direction as well set.
Korean financials attractive as stable large caps.
The speaker prefers large Korean financials and banks as relatively stable large-cap exposure with solid earnings and government policy support. They are worth checking, especially after pullbacks.
Bitcoin rebound may revive risk appetite.
Bitcoin rebounded from around $80,000 to $95,000, roughly a 20% recovery. If crypto inflows continue, the speaker thinks risk appetite across markets could revive, making it a developing risk-on signal.
Memory leaders range-bound, await earnings catalysts.
Samsung Electronics and SK hynix have been range-bound as analyst estimates converge. The speaker advises holders not to rush to sell and to wait for month-end earnings/HBM catalysts, with Micron's valuation as a benchmark.
Korean power equipment demand remains strong.
LS Electric's earnings should normalize after bad-debt issues, and Korean transformer/power-equipment makers are benefiting from US and European grid replacement demand. The speaker prefers large caps LS Electric, Hyosung Heavy, and HD Hyundai Electric; Sanil Electric is smaller with relatively weakening fundamentals.
Korean power equipment demand remains strong.
LS Electric's earnings should normalize after bad-debt issues, and Korean transformer/power-equipment makers are benefiting from US and European grid replacement demand. The speaker prefers large caps LS Electric, Hyosung Heavy, and HD Hyundai Electric; Sanil Electric is smaller with relatively weakening fundamentals.
Korean nuclear names benefit from policy revival.
Nuclear utilization hit a 15-year high and policy is shifting away from phase-out. The speaker sees nuclear momentum supported by US energy security, with KEPCO, KEPCO E&C, Doosan Enerbility, and Hyundai E&C as beneficiaries; Doosan is more US/SMR-sensitive while Hyundai E&C/Woojin react to domestic events.
Game stocks may join rotation.
Previously ignored game/content stocks such as NCSoft are rebounding as the market rotates into laggards. The speaker has prepared game stocks and thinks they can deliver returns when leading sectors pause, though he acknowledges clients often avoid them.
Shipbuilders attractive on pullbacks.
Korean shipbuilders sold off after a sharp run, but the speaker views pullbacks as buying opportunities. US shipbuilding capacity is far below China's, forcing partnerships with Korean yards, while LNG and MRO momentum continues; Hanwha's $5bn investment supports the cycle.
K-beauty exports strong, stocks lag rotation.
Korean cosmetics exports are strong and growing in Europe, the UK, France, Canada, Australia and Indonesia, but listed K-beauty stocks have lagged because capital is concentrated in semiconductors, power equipment, shipbuilding, defense and nuclear. When leading sectors pause, cosmetics can catch up.
Ulta revived by K-beauty expansion.
Ulta Beauty was struggling with declining sales and share loss to Sephora, but its turnaround strategy added exclusive K-beauty brands like Anua and Medicube, Korean cosmetics sales rose, and the stock recovered to record highs. The K-beauty distribution push is still early.
Silicon2 benefits from Europe, Middle East hubs.
Silicon2 operates Poland and UAE logistics hubs that distribute K-beauty into Europe and the Middle East. Its export share has expanded rapidly, making it a direct beneficiary of European and Middle Eastern K-beauty demand.
KOSPI large caps lead benchmark gains.
Park expects KOSPI to reach 5,000 in Q1 as EPS upgrades accelerate, followed by possible caution in Q2 if estimates are revised down. He argues large caps and the KOSPI benchmark are the best way to participate because mid/small caps lack liquidity.
Nuclear policy supports Hyundai E&C, KEPCO E&C.
Nuclear utilization is at a 15-year high and the phase-out policy is effectively over. The speaker names Hyundai E&C and KEPCO E&C as attractive nuclear-related stocks as the government expands nuclear power.
Hyundai group robot re-rating lifts multiples.
Boston Dynamics/Atlas humanoid robot adoption and governance improvement are driving a valuation re-rating across Hyundai Motor Group. Broker targets were raised for Hyundai Motor, Kia, Hyundai Mobis and Hyundai Glovis, and the speaker argues autos can receive higher multiples like Toyota.
Robot theme strong but extended.
Autonomous driving and robotics themes, including Motional robotaxi commercialization and Level 4/SDV progress, remain strong but have already run for several days. The speaker stays positive but warns investors to watch for a short-term correction.
AI memory shortage drives Samsung, SK hynix.
Goldman/JPM data show memory shortages into 2026-27, with AI server demand lifting DRAM, NAND and HBM. Samsung should recover HBM share as HBM4 Nvidia certification progresses, while SK hynix retains leadership; both benefit from memory pricing and earnings upgrades.
Data center power crisis lifts equipment makers.
Data center power demand is creating a US power crisis, with PJM shortages, rising electricity bills and pressure on Big Tech to fund infrastructure. Korean power-equipment names LS Electric, Hyosung Heavy, HD Hyundai Electric and Sanil Electric are direct beneficiaries, and server PSU/liquid cooling growth adds to the theme.
Korean biotech selloff offers buying opportunity.
The JPM Healthcare conference selloff in Korean biotech is overdone and lacks company-specific bad news. The speaker favors buying quality names on weakness, citing Hanmi Pharmaceutical's excessive drop and 2Q data, plus Alteogen and LigaChem Bio as 1Q new-deal candidates.
US beauty growth lifts Korean cosmetics names.
Goldman says US beauty demand has not peaked and Ulta/Sephora K-beauty entry is early. Competition benefits ODMs Cosmax and Kolmar Korea, while export-linked names APR, Silicon2 and PharmaResearch have upward earnings momentum; China is shifting to profitability defense.
AI electricity demand is structural bottleneck.
AI and physical AI electrify everything, making electricity the key bottleneck. Data center power demand is expected to roughly double by 2030, so energy/power assets and suppliers should benefit structurally.
SMRs needed for data center power.
SMRs are increasingly favored because they can be co-located with data centers and provide 24/7 power, unlike intermittent renewables. Big Tech is interested and Korea can participate in manufacturing, construction and operation.
K-nuclear exports have cost advantage.
Korea can build nuclear plants at roughly half the cost and with shorter lead times than US/European competitors. Saudi Arabia, the US under Trump's 100-to-400GW plan, and Southeast Asia create a large export market for KEPCO, KEPCO E&C, Doosan Enerbility and Hyundai E&C.
Renewables necessary despite high costs.
Renewables are necessary for energy security, climate goals and CBAM export rules, but Korean renewable costs are high. The speaker expects learning-curve and scale to lower costs, making solar and offshore wind long-term growth areas.
Transformer shortage boosts Korean power equipment.
Transformers and power equipment are in short supply because US/European grids need replacement and data centers add demand. Korea has competitive manufacturing and lead times, so Hyosung Heavy, HD Hyundai Electric, LS Electric and Doosan Enerbility should benefit from the K-grid export cycle over the next five years.
ESS growth tied to data center power.
ESS is structurally required for data centers and renewable-heavy grids. Costs are falling 10-20% annually, central contract bidding is underway, and Korean battery makers can build a track record for US export projects.
US nuclear names benefit from bottleneck.
The speaker personally invested in Hyosung Heavy and Doosan Enerbility in Korea and in US nuclear names Oklo and Centrus. He expects the AI energy bottleneck to keep benefiting well-positioned nuclear/SMR companies.
This 3PRO TV (삼프로TV) video, published January 14, 2026,
features Lee Jae-kyu, Kim Jang-yeol, Lee Joo-ho, Park Geun-hyung, Kim Hee-jip
discussing EWY, KOSDAQ, Korean securities stocks, 000270.KS, 005380.KS, 000880.KS, Korean holding companies, 034730.KS, Korean financials/banks, BTC, 005930.KS, 000660.KS, 010120.KS, 298040.KS, 267260.KS, 062040.KS, 015760.KS, 052690.KS, 034020.KS, 000720.KS, Korean game stocks, Korean Shipbuilding Stocks, Korean cosmetics/K-beauty stocks, ULTA, 257720.KQ, 012330.KS, 086280.KS, Korean autonomous driving/robotics theme, 128940.KS, 196170.KQ, 141080.KQ, 278470.KS, 214450.KQ, 192820.KS, 161890.KS, XLE, SMR (small modular reactors), SOLAR, ESS, OKLO, LEU.
34 trade ideas extracted by AI with direction and confidence scoring.
Speakers:
Lee Jae-kyu,
Kim Jang-yeol,
Lee Joo-ho,
Park Geun-hyung,
Kim Hee-jip
· Tickers:
EWY,
KOSDAQ,
Korean securities stocks,
000270.KS,
005380.KS,
000880.KS,
Korean holding companies,
034730.KS,
Korean financials/banks,
BTC,
005930.KS,
000660.KS,
010120.KS,
298040.KS,
267260.KS,
062040.KS,
015760.KS,
052690.KS,
034020.KS,
000720.KS,
Korean game stocks,
Korean Shipbuilding Stocks,
Korean cosmetics/K-beauty stocks,
ULTA,
257720.KQ,
012330.KS,
086280.KS,
Korean autonomous driving/robotics theme,
128940.KS,
196170.KQ,
141080.KQ,
278470.KS,
214450.KQ,
192820.KS,
161890.KS,
XLE,
SMR (small modular reactors),
SOLAR,
ESS,
OKLO,
LEU
