Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs, Douglas Research Advisory

Douglas Kim

Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs

Douglas Research Advisory

Cross Asset Strategy

<ul>
<li>On 28 November, the Korean National Assembly reached an agreement on a tax reform plan to officially lower taxes on dividends income. </li>
<li>The decline in tax on dividends is a definite step in the right direction. Nonetheless, the top bracket dividend tax rate cut was slightly less than what market was expecting. </li>
<li>Given that about 15%-25% dividend tax rates are more common in other developed countries,  Korea's reduction of dividend taxes is likely to be welcomed highly by many global investors.</li>
</ul>


On 28 November, the Korean National Assembly reached an agreement on a tax reform plan to officially lower taxes on dividends income. 
The decline in tax on dividends is a definite step in the right direction. Nonetheless, the top bracket dividend tax rate cut was slightly less than what market was expecting. 
Given that about 15%-25% dividend tax rates are more common in other developed countries,  Korea's reduction of dividend taxes is likely to be welcomed highly by many global investors.


Top Bracket Dividend Tax Rate Lowered to 30% in Korea [Moderately Positive]

<ul>
<li>Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Hyun-jung has introduced a revised Income Tax Act that would lower the top tax rate on dividend income from 35% to 25%.</li>
<li>Given that this proposal is coming from the ruling Democratic Party, there is a fairly high probability that this could be passed into law in 3Q 2025.</li>
<li>We provide a list of 28 mid-cap/large cap stocks in Korea with more than 35% dividend payout and 3% or more dividend yield that could benefit from this new proposal.</li>
</ul>


Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Hyun-jung has introduced a revised Income Tax Act that would lower the top tax rate on dividend income from 35% to 25%.
Given that this proposal is coming from the ruling Democratic Party, there is a fairly high probability that this could be passed into law in 3Q 2025.
We provide a list of 28 mid-cap/large cap stocks in Korea with more than 35% dividend payout and 3% or more dividend yield that could benefit from this new proposal.


Separate Dividend Tax Plan in Korea: A Push for a 25% Rate for Top Bracket

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>In this insight, we provide the top 10 stock picks and key catalysts in the Korean stock market for the two weeks (29 August to 12 September 2025).</li>
<li>Shipbuilding remained the best performing sector in the past two weeks. Rechargeable battery was the worst performing sector. </li>
<li>Top 10 picks in this bi-weekly include KCC Corp, KT&amp;G, LG Uplus, Samsung Life Insurance, Paradise, Nongshim, LG Chem, HD Hyundai Mipo, SK Inc, and CJ Corp. </li>
</ul>


In this insight, we provide the top 10 stock picks and key catalysts in the Korean stock market for the two weeks (29 August to 12 September 2025).
Shipbuilding remained the best performing sector in the past two weeks. Rechargeable battery was the worst performing sector. 
Top 10 picks in this bi-weekly include KCC Corp, KT&amp;G, LG Uplus, Samsung Life Insurance, Paradise, Nongshim, LG Chem, HD Hyundai Mipo, SK Inc, and CJ Corp. 


Top 10 Korean Stock Picks and Key Catalysts Bi-Weekly (29 August to 12 September 2025)

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One, Periscope Analytics

Brian Freitas

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One

Periscope Analytics

Periscope Analytics focuses on event-driven trades across Asia Pacific and provides comprehensive, timely and systematic coverage of index changes to major Asia Pacific indices in a structured manner.

The analysis includes forecasted inclusions and exclusions to all major Asian indices that have significant amount of tracking assets, including estimates of passive buy/sell flow on the stocks. The service also provides commentary and impact of market consultations, ground rule changes, and other events (IPOs, spin-offs, M&A) that could lead to index changes and passive flow.

Periscope Analytics works with multi-strategy hedge funds, proprietary trading firms, stat arb trading groups and long-only investors that invest and trade in the Asia Pacific region with the data being used to trade index rebalances, avoid pre-positioning and passive flow, and to time entry into and exit from stocks.

Event-Driven Trades Across Asia Pacific

Index Rebalance

<ul>
<li>Foreign room in <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sk-telecom-co-ltd-bbccd86c-474d-4a4d-946d-10e911a225a2" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:395:1" rel="noopener">SK Telecom (017670 KS)</a> is over 21% now and increasing as foreign investors sell stock.</li>
<li>Further foreign selling could take foreign room past 25% and that will result in passive inflows for the stock. Timing is dependent on when the 25% threshold is crossed.</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sk-telecom-co-ltd-bbccd86c-474d-4a4d-946d-10e911a225a2" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:395:1" rel="noopener">SK Telecom</a> has underperformed its peers over the last 3 months and that has shrunk its valuation premium. Watch for a further increase in foreign room for an entry point.</li>
</ul>


Foreign room in SK Telecom (017670 KS) is over 21% now and increasing as foreign investors sell stock.
Further foreign selling could take foreign room past 25% and that will result in passive inflows for the stock. Timing is dependent on when the 25% threshold is crossed.

SK Telecom has underperformed its peers over the last 3 months and that has shrunk its valuation premium. Watch for a further increase in foreign room for an entry point.


SK Telecom (017670 KS): Increasing Foreign Room & Passive Buying

Head of Research, IPOs & Placements, Aequitas Research

Sumeet Singh

Head of Research, IPOs & Placements

IPOs and Placements coverage across Asia Pacific

Aequitas Research

We cover all listing across the Asia Pacific along with follow-up placements. As of Dec 2020, our team had covered 539 IPOs with a hit rate of 73.5% and 685 placements with a hit rate of 66.8%.

We combine fundamental bottom-up views with our proprietary quantitative framework to provide a holistic coverage across new listings and placements. Our coverage includes pre-IPO notes before the deal is launched, follow-up analysis once the deal is live and post-listing trading analysis as well.

Event-Driven

<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/lg-cns-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:35945:1" rel="noopener">LG CNS (064400 KS)</a> raised around US$825m in its Korea IPO in February 2025. LG CNS is a South Korean information technology company.</li>
<li>The shares didn’t do much at listing and have only recently moved higher to trade above its IPO price.</li>
<li>In this note, we will talk about the lock-up dynamics and updates since our last note.</li>
</ul>



LG CNS (064400 KS) raised around US$825m in its Korea IPO in February 2025. LG CNS is a South Korean information technology company.
The shares didn’t do much at listing and have only recently moved higher to trade above its IPO price.
In this note, we will talk about the lock-up dynamics and updates since our last note.


LG CNS IPO Lockup Expiry - US$1.1bn Release, with PE Well in the Money

South Korea

LG Uplus Corp., an affiliate of LG Group, provides a wide range of personal communications services (PCS) using code division multiple access (CDMA) technology.  The Company offers call forwarding, call and data transfer, call waiting, voice mail, Internet-phone, prepaid call, and authentication text-to-speech (TTS) services.

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LG Uplus Corp (032640 KS)

Top Bracket Dividend Tax Rate Lowered to 30% in Korea [Moderately Positive]

On 28 November, the Korean National Assembly reached an agreement on a tax reform plan to officially lower taxes on dividends income.

Douglas Kim

Separate Dividend Tax Plan in Korea: A Push for a 25% Rate for Top Bracket

The final decision to lower top bracket dividend tax from 35% to 25% could be made in the next several days. There have been increasing local news...

Douglas Kim

Top 10 Korean Stock Picks and Key Catalysts Bi-Weekly (29 August to 12 September 2025)

In this insight, we provide the top 10 stock picks and key catalysts in the Korean stock market for the two weeks (29 August to 12 September 2025).

Douglas Kim

SK Telecom (017670 KS): Increasing Foreign Room & Passive Buying

SK Telecom's foreign room is higher than 21%. Some more foreign selling needed for foreign room to exceed 25%. Then there will be passive buying....

Brian Freitas

LG CNS IPO Lockup Expiry - US$1.1bn Release, with PE Well in the Money

There was a US$250m placement in LG CNS after market close, with Macquaire having sold nearly a quarter of its stake right after lockup expiry.

Sumeet Singh

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