English guide
Why the Korean stock market moved today.
Kkadak ( 까닭, Korean for “the reason”) is a market intelligence dashboard for KOSPI/KOSDAQ. We aggregate real-time price scanners, news, filings, and macro indicators, then use AI to explain the day’s biggest gainers and losers — factually, without buy/sell opinions.
Live data pages (themes, tickers, reports) are in Korean because the data sources are Korean. Ticker codes, prices, and charts are language-agnostic.
The Korean market at a glance
Korea’s main board — large caps like Samsung Electronics (005930), SK Hynix (000660), Hyundai Motor (005380), LG Energy Solution (373220). ~940 tickers, dominated by chaebols.
Growth/venture board — biotech, IT services, gaming, smaller semiconductors. ~1,700 tickers. More retail-driven and volatile than KOSPI.
Regular trading: 09:00–15:30 KST (UTC+9), Monday to Friday. In New York time, that’s roughly 20:00–02:30 ET the previous evening.
What Kkadak gives you
- Theme index — 37 curated Korean stock themes (nuclear, defense, batteries, AI semiconductors, K-beauty, etc.) with a cap-weighted daily index. See which sectors are hot at a glance.
- Scanner — a KIS-powered rank scanner that flags surges (≥+5%) and plunges (≤-5%) every few seconds during market hours.
- AI reports — for each big mover, Kkadak assembles related news + filings + macro context and asks Claude (Anthropic) to explain why it happened — strictly as factual causation, not investment advice.
- News + filings feed — real-time RSS from Korean financial media, plus DART regulatory filings tagged to specific tickers and themes.
- Macro context — FX (KRW), rates, metals, US Treasury yields, oil, global indices in one view.
Buying Korean stocks from abroad
You have four practical paths depending on where you live and how hands-on you want to be.
1. Interactive Brokers (most flexible)
IBKR routes to the Korea Exchange (KRX) directly. You’ll need to complete a one-time W-8BEN and an Investor Registration Certificate (IRC) via IBKR itself. Once done, you can trade KOSPI/KOSDAQ stocks (both settlement in KRW). Commission around 0.08% or ~$1 min per order.
- Pros: Best pricing, direct market access, English UI
- Cons: Onboarding takes 1–3 weeks (KYC + IRC)
2. Charles Schwab International / Fidelity (US residents)
Schwab Global Investing gives you direct KRX access with a US account. Fidelity offers international trading similarly. Both are slower to place orders vs IBKR but simpler if you already bank there.
3. Korean brokers directly (Kiwoom, Mirae Asset, Samsung Securities)
Foreign residents in Korea (or with a Korean bank account) can open a domestic brokerage. All three offer English apps. Downside: onboarding usually requires an in-person visit or Alien Registration Card.
4. ADRs and ETFs (no Korean account needed)
Trade Korean exposure on US exchanges without any Korean paperwork:
- ADRs: Coupang (CPNG), KT Corp (KT), POSCO Holdings (PKX), SK Telecom (SKM), LG Display (LPL), Woori Financial (WF).
- Broad ETFs: EWY (iShares MSCI South Korea), FLKR (Franklin FTSE South Korea).
- Thematic ETFs: KWEB includes some Korean names; SOXX and semiconductor ETFs indirectly track Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.
- Currency-hedged: DBKO (Xtrackers MSCI South Korea Hedged Equity) for KRW-hedged exposure.
Tax note. Foreign investors pay ~22% withholding on Korean dividend income and 0.18–0.23% transaction tax on sales (integrated tax + special agricultural tax). Capital gains are generally exempt for non-residents holding <25% of a listed company. Check your home country’s tax treaty with Korea.
Not investment advice
Kkadak explains price movements that already happened. We do not provide forecasts, price targets, or buy/sell recommendations. All AI outputs are factual descriptions grounded in tagged news and filings, presented in past tense. Nothing on this site should be construed as personalized financial advice.
Frequently asked
- Can foreigners buy Korean stocks?
- Yes. Foreign investors can trade KOSPI/KOSDAQ stocks through international brokers like Interactive Brokers, Charles Schwab International, or Saxo. Korean brokers (Kiwoom, Mirae Asset, Samsung Securities) also accept foreign residents with an Investor Registration Certificate (IRC) issued by the Financial Supervisory Service.
- What are Korean ADRs?
- American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) let you trade Korean companies on US exchanges (NYSE/NASDAQ) without a Korean brokerage account. Popular examples: Coupang (CPNG), KT Corp (KT), POSCO Holdings (PKX), SK Telecom (SKM), LG Display (LPL).
- Are there ETFs that track Korean stocks?
- Yes. The iShares MSCI South Korea ETF (EWY) is the most liquid US-listed ETF tracking Korean large caps. There are also active ETFs like FLKR (Franklin FTSE South Korea) and thematic funds like KWEB (KraneShares CSI China Internet, which includes Korean tech).
- What are KOSPI and KOSDAQ?
- KOSPI is Korea's main board (large caps like Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, Hyundai Motor). KOSDAQ is the venture/growth board (biotech, IT, smaller-cap tech). Together they cover most of Korea's listed companies (~2,700 tickers).
- When does the Korean market trade?
- Regular hours are 09:00–15:30 KST (Korea Standard Time, UTC+9), Monday to Friday. That's 20:00–02:30 US Eastern (or 19:00–01:30 during US daylight saving). Extended pre-market runs 08:30–09:00 KST.