South Korea to launch first 'Korea Premium Weeks' capital market event

Korea Premium Weeks 2026, the country's first consolidated capital market event of its kind, will be held from Sept. 28 through Oct. 16.

The event brings together investor relations sessions and conferences that had previously been held separately by individual institutions, consolidating them into a single concentrated program. Organizers plan to make it a recurring annual event.

The Financial Services Commission announced Tuesday that the event will proceed under the slogan "Gateway to Asia's most dynamic capital market."

Co-organized by the FSC and Korea Exchange, it is the largest capital market IR event ever held in South Korea, with 42 institutions — including stock market-related bodies, financial investment firms and media organizations — and 55 listed companies taking part.

The decision to consolidate the events reflects moves by rival markets. Japan has held "Japan Weeks" under the Financial Services Agency since 2023, and Taiwan launched "Taiwan Weeks" under its Financial Supervisory Commission last year.

About 25 events are scheduled over the three weeks. The first week, the core period, will feature a global conference for institutional investors.

Opening with a launch ceremony and policy sessions on Sept. 28, the conference will cover capital market reform, progress and future direction on corporate governance improvements, and foreign exchange market reform.

Speakers at the opening ceremony are expected to include Itoh Yutaka, commissioner of Japan's Financial Services Agency; Joud Abdel Majeid, co-head of BlackRock's Global Partners Office; and Kevin Sneader, Goldman Sachs' president for Asia-Pacific.

Other prominent figures from global financial markets are also set to attend, including representatives from the UN Principles for Responsible Investment, NASDAQ, S&P, Dow Jones Indices and the Asia Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association.

On Sept. 29, discussions will cover the vision and challenges for a Korea premium era, capital market infrastructure modernization — including extended trading hours and a shorter settlement cycle — and measures to strengthen Kosdaq's competitiveness. IR sessions and one-on-one meetings with flagship listed companies, including Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, will also be held that day.

A closed-door roundtable involving more than 10 pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and global long-short and hedge funds will also take place.

Sept. 30 will feature a retail investor-focused program in which market experts offer guidance on asset management, along with seminars by securities industry officials.

On Oct. 1, Korea Exchange will host its fair-market forum focused on eradicating unfair trading and protecting investors. On Oct. 2, Busan will host a derivatives and maritime finance seminar as well as The Herald Business's "Money Festa," where personal finance experts and seasoned investors will gather to discuss strategies for growing assets through real estate, shares, virtual assets and other investment products.

In the second week, a market assessment seminar on Kosdaq revitalization and IR events for Konex- and Kosdaq-listed companies are planned. The third week will be led by private-sector financial firms — domestic securities companies and asset managers — along with a global bond market forum.

The FSC said it plans to run the event as a regular fixture going forward, expressing hope that it will become South Korea's flagship annual IR and global conference for the capital markets.