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South Korea's exports surged 29% year-over-year to $67.45 billion in February 2026, setting an all-time record for the month. Semiconductor exports exploded 160.8% to $25.16 billion — the highest ever for a single month — while the trade surplus hit $15.51 billion, also a historic record.
Prominent scholars including former and current presidents of the International Political Science Association have officially nominated 'the South Korean Citizen Collective' for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for their nonviolent resolution of the December 3rd martial law crisis. On the 107th anniversary of the March 1st Independence Movement, K-Democracy is being spotlighted as a global model.
On February 25, 2026, the 3rd Commercial Act amendment mandating treasury stock cancellation passed the National Assembly. Companies that acquire treasury shares must now cancel them within one year as a rule, and with KOSPI breaking the 6,000 mark, the legislation marks a watershed moment for structural reform in Korea's stock market.
As KOSPI races past the 6,000 mark, a wave of ELB (Equity Linked Bond) knock-out investors are finding themselves worse off in the very rally they bet on. This analysis dives deep into the structural irony of history's greatest stock market rally handing individual investors a bitter scorecard of 'principal + 2% return.'
In February 2026, South Korea officially launched its third Truth and Reconciliation Commission, setting widespread document forgery and identity manipulation in overseas adoptions as its core investigative agenda. Hundreds of adoptees worldwide have already filed investigation requests, marking a new chapter in the long search for truth by adoptees from the US, Denmark, and dozens of other countries.
On February 26, when KOSPI made its historic first breach of 6,300 at 6,307, margin loan balances hit an all-time high and foreign investors net-sold ₩2 trillion in the same session. We examine three structural risks accumulating beneath the rally.
The appeal trial for former President Yoon Suk-yeol on charges including arrest obstruction and infringement of cabinet ministers' deliberation rights begins at the Seoul High Court's Insurrection Dedicated Panel on March 4, 2026. After being sentenced to five years in prison at the first trial, both the special prosecutor and the defendant have appealed, and under applicable law, a verdict must be delivered within three months.
The '3·1 Independence Day Freedom Concert' organized by YouTuber Jeon Han-gil has effectively collapsed. Performers including Tae Jin-ah and BANK withdrew one after another, saying they "didn't know it was a far-right political event," KINTEX canceled the venue booking under pressure from the Gyeonggi Province governor, and Jeon Han-gil is now pressuring Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon to provide an alternative venue.
The Bank of Korea held its base rate at 2.5% for the 6th consecutive meeting on February 26, 2026. At the same time, it raised its 2026 growth forecast from 1.8% to 2.0%, but deferred any rate cut due to housing market instability and exchange rate risks.
The Bank of Korea held its benchmark interest rate at 2.50% for the sixth consecutive time on February 26, and raised its 2026 growth forecast from 1.8% to 2.0%. The AI semiconductor supercycle-driven export surge is the key driver, and Governor Lee Chang-yong publicly unveiled the dot-plot for the first time, signaling that rate changes are unlikely within the next 6 months.
On February 25, 2026, the day the 3rd Commercial Act Amendment mandating treasury share cancellation passed the National Assembly, KOSPI broke the 6,000-point barrier for the first time in history. Up 49.7% year-to-date — the world's top-performing market — we examine whether Korea's stock market rally has structural legs.
On February 26, 2026, the 'Law Distortion Crime' — carrying up to 10 years in prison for judges and prosecutors who intentionally distort the law — passed the National Assembly plenum under the leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea. Amid fierce opposition from the Supreme Court and the opposition party, the first of the three judicial reform bills cleared its initial hurdle, with constitutional review proceedings and a clash with the Constitutional Court signaling a second round of conflict.