Comedian Jo Hye-ryeon bought SK hynix at 870,000 won — then kept buying as it climbed

As semiconductor stocks tumble, comedian Jo Hye-ryeon's account of chasing SK hynix shares higher during a previous rally — a strategy known as "averaging up" — has drawn fresh attention.

Appearing on the YouTube channel Money in the Trap on Tuesday, Jo advised attorney Seo Dong-ju, who said she had bought SK hynix shares at around 2.8 million won and was now sitting on a loss, to "just stop looking at your account."

Jo said she had first bought SK hynix at 870,000 won per share, then kept adding to her position as the price climbed sharply.

"When it was going to 2.5 million, 2.6 million, 2.7 million won, I kept saying it would hit 4 million won. My heart was pounding," she said. "What I thought was averaging up turned out to be the frustrating kind — not the good kind."

She added that she had not yet fallen into the red. "I'm still slightly in the positive," she said. "At the time I wanted to buy more, but I didn't have the money. I'm actually glad I didn't."

Jo recalled that SK hynix shares traded at around 300 won when she appeared on the KBS variety program "Yeogeol Paibu" (Women Warriors Five) in 2005. "Today — the day we filmed this — the price is around 1.7 million won," she said. "Just leave it alone like a pension. As long as South Korea exists and keeps developing, the future is bright."

Her reference to SK hynix trading in the 1.7 million won range suggests the episode was filmed earlier this month.

Jo also warned against margin trading. "The most dangerous thing is buying shares and then taking out a loan against those same shares to buy even more," she said. "The people who offer those loans — they're the bad guys."

Margin trading involves borrowing money from a brokerage to purchase shares. While it can amplify gains when prices rise, it magnifies losses when they fall. If the collateral value drops below a set threshold, investors must inject additional funds; failing to do so can trigger a forced liquidation of their holdings.

According to the Korea Exchange, SK hynix shares have continued to slide since then, closing at 1.22 million won on Thursday — a drop of 618,000 won per share, or 33.57 percent, over the past month.