Ideas
Top pick on HBM bonding demand.
Hanmi Semiconductor is his top pick. Micron's capacity expansion, a recent visit to Micron's Singapore plant, and possible TSMC-related business are positive. Its big-die bonding equipment should benefit as HBM, LPDDR, and other stacked-memory applications require more bonding, and if HBM area increases, bonding equipment must be replaced, expanding its market.
Korean semiconductor equipment favored on capex hopes.
The Korean semiconductor equipment/materials sector is favored because expectations are building that Samsung Electronics and SK hynix will announce new orders or capex around earnings. Front-end core equipment makers such as Wonik IPS, Eugene Technology, TES, and Jusung Engineering are already reflecting this, with sector-wide upward momentum.
Inspection-equipment supplier with strong orders.
DI is the strong inspection-equipment name now, with shipments to Samsung and SK hynix and difficulty meeting volume, indicating solid order momentum. The speaker says he bought it earlier and sold too early as it continued to rise.
Consumables benefit from rising utilization.
Leeno Industrial and ISC are consumables and test-component names that should continue to benefit as semiconductor utilization rises. They alternate leadership, but higher fab utilization directly improves their business.
EUV blank mask Samsung adoption catalyst.
S&S Tech is an EUV blank-mask developer in which Samsung invested. It had supplied China but not Samsung, and news that Samsung will use its product is a major catalyst. The long-awaited adoption supports the stock, and selling on the first news was a mistake.
Buy Hana Micron on pullback.
Hana Micron should benefit from Micron's large Vietnam back-end packaging expansion. After a strong bullish candle with the close at the high, he advises buying the pullback, splitting purchases, or buying if price breaks above the prior close, accepting the risk of being underwater.
CMP localization play for HBM stacking.
KC Tech is an underappreciated CMP equipment maker. As HBM moves toward 16-high stacking, wafers must be thinner, requiring more CMP. KC Tech is the only domestic localized player, competing with Applied Materials with about 10% share, so any order win could create momentum.
Earnings improvement limits LGES downside.
LG Energy Solution is rallying because its operating profit improved and the earnings reaction is positive, limiting further downside; the market is also attaching a robot theme to the name.
EcoPro earnings turnaround and smelter hopes.
EcoPro's earnings have already turned around and expectations around its smelter or precursor operations are improving, with the stock showing strong momentum. The speaker says he had been watching it.
Cheap biotech re-rating candidate.
Hanmi Pharm is too cheap because the market treats it as a traditional pharma company, not a biotech. Its roughly KRW 6tn market cap is far below Alteogen at over KRW 20tn and ABL Bio near KRW 12tn, despite a large pipeline, profitable Beijing Hanmi, a new diabetes supply contract, and emerging-market opportunities. It is a near-term buy candidate.
Simtek sound despite holding-company noise.
Simtek's own fundamentals are strong and earnings are improving; the holding-company disclosure and funding issue is separate and does not justify a Simtek derating. The stock has been consolidating after a sharp rally and Q4 earnings-growth concerns, but the speaker expects it to break out after today's 7% gain.
Korean substrate demand rising; watch entries.
The Korean substrate/PCB sector should be watched because substrate demand keeps rising, Chinese suppliers are being avoided, and Korean companies can capture the business. After a broad consolidation, substrate names are starting to rotate again, so investors should look for entry points.
Too expensive; needs guidance upgrade.
ISU Petasys is still valued around 38x earnings, which is too expensive. It needs upward guidance to bring the valuation down, and until then it will likely stay in a box range. The speaker is cautious and avoiding it.
Cheap-valuation catch-up mostly done.
Korea Circuit was strong while Simtek consolidated because its valuation was very cheap; it has now largely caught up and is resting. It remains part of the substrate group to watch for renewed entry timing.
This 815 Money Talk (815머니톡) video, published January 28, 2026,
features Lee Kwon-hee
discussing 042700.KS, Korean semiconductor equipment/materials sector, 240810.KQ, 084370.KQ, 095610.KQ, 036930.KQ, 003160.KS, 058470.KQ, 095340.KQ, 101490.KQ, 067310.KQ, 029460.KS, 373220.KS, 086520.KQ, 128940.KS, 222800.KQ, Korean semiconductor substrate/PCB sector, 007660.KS, 007810.KS.
14 trade ideas extracted by AI with direction and confidence scoring.
Speakers:
Lee Kwon-hee
· Tickers:
042700.KS,
Korean semiconductor equipment/materials sector,
240810.KQ,
084370.KQ,
095610.KQ,
036930.KQ,
003160.KS,
058470.KQ,
095340.KQ,
101490.KQ,
067310.KQ,
029460.KS,
373220.KS,
086520.KQ,
128940.KS,
222800.KQ,
Korean semiconductor substrate/PCB sector,
007660.KS,
007810.KS
