South Korea’s Kospi jumps 90% as MSCI review nears on June 23
What’s next: Investors expect MSCI to keep South Korea in emerging markets for now as it tests market-access reforms.
South Korea’s stock market is heading into a key MSCI classification review after the Kospi surged more than 90% in 2026, making it the best-performing major equity benchmark this year. MSCI will decide on June 23 whether to place South Korea on a watchlist for developed-market status, the first step toward a future upgrade. Most investors and strategists interviewed by Bloomberg expect no immediate change, saying reforms need more time to prove they will last. South Korea already has a roughly $4.4 trillion equity market and a 23% weight in the MSCI Emerging Markets index, but foreign-investor access remains a sticking point. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix now account for more than half of the Kospi, tying the market closely to the global AI-driven chip rally.