Ideas
Memory duo earnings justify higher prices.
Samsung Electronics and SK hynix remain the cheapest way to play the memory upcycle. Samsung's preliminary Q4 operating profit hit a record 20 trillion won, Q1 estimates are 25-30 trillion won, and some forecasts see next-year operating profit of 100-148 trillion won, with combined Samsung-SK hynix profit potentially reaching 300 trillion won. Brokerage targets of 240,000 won for Samsung and 1,120,000 won for SK hynix and the memory upturn through 2028 support holding rather than selling quickly despite heavy foreign selling.
Hyundai group leads mobility and robotics.
Hyundai Motor Group is transforming from an automaker into a mobility and robotics company. Boston Dynamics' Atlas was named best robot at CES, US policy is supporting robotics, and the group is emerging as the clear large-cap robot leader. The speaker prefers Hyundai Motor and key affiliates such as Hyundai Mobis, Hyundai AutoEver, Hyundai Wia, and Hyundai Glovis over smaller robot stocks.
Korean robotics rally persists into March.
The Korean robot theme has policy and demographic support: Trump signed an executive order on China industrial robots, the US wants to catch up, aging and labor shortages increase robot demand, and the Yellow Envelope Act takes effect in March. The speaker expects rotation within robot stocks to continue until at least March, focusing on large corporates and companies with surgical or rehabilitation robot technology.
JPM Healthcare event boosts Korean biotech interest.
The JPMorgan Healthcare Conference on January 12-15 is a major biotech catalyst; many Korean companies will attend and present. Korean tech-transfer deal value rose from 12 trillion to 21 trillion won last year, and licensing contracts are expected to increase in autumn, so companies attending or presenting at the conference deserve attention.
Shipbuilding is a relative safe haven.
Korean shipbuilding is relatively resilient even if tariff issues persist. Trump has emphasized cooperation with Korea, the Golden Fleet, and the Hanwha-owned Philly Shipyard expansion; shipbuilders held up when semiconductors paused and can cover if AI/semiconductor momentum cools.
Trump defense budget boost lifts Korean defense.
Trump's proposal to raise the US defense budget by 50%, to about 2,000 trillion won, creates room for Korean weapons exports, especially as Europe already buys Korean defense products. Greenland and Venezuela issues also keep defense interest alive.
Obesity drug demand expands on price cuts.
Trump-era drug price cuts are making obesity drugs much more accessible. In China, prices for Wegovy and Mounjaro reportedly fell from about 450,000 to 90,000 won, expanding the user base, while combined obesity drug sales have surpassed Keytruda. The speaker expects a volume-over-price expansion in the obesity drug market.
Space stocks stay hot until SpaceX IPO.
Korean space and aerospace stocks have strong momentum from Trump's ambitions, Musk's political alignment, SpaceX IPO expectations, and Korea's Nuri-5 launch plans through 2030. The speaker expects intense interest to persist at least until the SpaceX IPO issue is resolved.
KOSPI can overshoot 5,300 before mid-year top.
The speaker calls the first half a 'Nike-shaped' market: KOSPI can overshoot to 5,000 and possibly 5,200-5,300 before a June-July top, when year-on-year earnings growth is expected to slow. Government policy support, the MSCI developed-market inclusion roadmap, and large-cap semiconductor earnings should keep a buy-and-hold stance favorable until that late-first-half peak.
ABL Bio likely to license out.
ABL Bio is expected to complete one or more license-out deals this year. Its prior 150 billion won rights offering helped it re-rate from a trillion-won company toward a 10 trillion won scale, showing the potential of its licensing pipeline.
Orum can mirror ABL Bio's re-rating.
Orum Therapeutics had existing cash and strengthened its balance sheet with a large rights offering, giving it sufficient funding for clinical trials. The speaker picks it as a promising stock that could show a similar re-rating to ABL Bio this year.
Large caps lead the Korean market.
The current Korean market is index-driven and led by large caps; sector leaders with trillion-won-plus market caps are moving fastest and farthest. The speaker recommends preferring Hyundai group and other large-cap leaders over small speculative robot or self-driving names.
Buy quantum stocks on dips.
Quantum-related issues remain relevant in the US around communications and security, so quantum-related stocks can be bought on pullbacks.
This 815 Money Talk (815머니톡) video, published January 09, 2026,
features Kim Dong-yeop
discussing 005930.KS, 000660.KS, 005380.KS, 012330.KS, 307950.KS, 086280.KS, 011210.KS, Korean robotics sector, Korean biotech sector, Korean shipbuilding sector, Korean defense sector, THNR, Korean space/aerospace sector, EWY, 298380.KQ, 474490.KQ, Korean large-cap stocks, QTUM.
13 trade ideas extracted by AI with direction and confidence scoring.
Speakers:
Kim Dong-yeop
· Tickers:
005930.KS,
000660.KS,
005380.KS,
012330.KS,
307950.KS,
086280.KS,
011210.KS,
Korean robotics sector,
Korean biotech sector,
Korean shipbuilding sector,
Korean defense sector,
THNR,
Korean space/aerospace sector,
EWY,
298380.KQ,
474490.KQ,
Korean large-cap stocks,
QTUM
