Hagwon teacher who went all-in on Samsung Electronics 4 years ago retires after 491% gain

A hagwon instructor who put 500 million won ($323,000) into Samsung Electronics four years ago has gone viral after posting proof of his returns online and announcing he is quitting after more than two decades in the industry.

The investment verification post, titled "Today — I'm finally retiring," was uploaded to the online community MLB Park the previous day and quickly spread.

The author, identified only as A, said he had worked as a hagwon instructor for more than 20 years and was finally retiring. "Things went well toward the end of my teaching career, and I made a lot of money over four years, so I put it all into Samsung Electronics at 54,000 won a share," he wrote. "I got lucky and it paid off — that's why I'm retiring."

Account records A shared showed he had purchased 9,563 shares of Samsung Electronics at an average price of 54,014 won per share. His principal was 516.54 million won, and as of the date of the post his total profit stood at 2.54 billion won, a return of 491.05 percent. His account balance had grown to 3.05 billion won.

Samsung Electronics' share price at the time of the post was listed at 319,250 won, up 6.77 percent from the previous day.

"It feels a little unsettling to suddenly let go of something I worked on with such passion," A wrote, "but I wrapped up the second chapter of my life well, so I'm going to live the third chapter just as boldly."

When another user asked whether he had sold his shares, A said he believed Samsung Electronics' market cap would eventually exceed 3,000 trillion won and that he would consider selling once it crossed that threshold, signaling his intention to hold long-term.

Readers reacted with admiration. "If you held on from an average of 54,000 won all the way to now, you deserve every won," one commenter wrote. Others noted that 3 billion won in bank interest alone would cover a typical office worker's monthly salary, and that most people never see 1 billion won in their accounts even after a lifetime of work. "The patience is extraordinary," another wrote.

Samsung Electronics' share price hit a low of 49,900 won on Nov. 14, 2024, and traded sideways in the 50,000–60,000 won range through the first half of last year. It then climbed steadily through the second half of last year and into recent months as an AI-driven surge in demand for HBM sent the Kospi into a bull run.