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Finance

New year KOSPI rally; stronger dividends, RIA and ISA tax breaks to bring forward KOSPI 5,000 era

South Korea’s stock market has extended a sharp early-year rally, with the KOSPI rising above 4,400 in two sessions. The government plans stronger tax incentives including a new individual savings account (ISA), a return-to-domestic-market account (RIA) for reinvestment from overseas stocks, and low-rate separate taxation for dividends. It also plans to raise securities transaction tax rates back to 2023 levels while advancing its value-up programme.

Games & Commerce

Kakao to step up TalkBiz, AI and blockchain push in 2026

Kakao, which reduced its number of affiliates to 94 from 147 by the end of last year, plans to expand its artificial intelligence and blockchain ecosystems this year based on improved profitability in its core business. The company is betting on a rebound in KakaoTalk’s TalkBiz ad revenue, an AI service called “Kanana” due in the first quarter, and global growth driven by a “super wallet” and a consortium-backed won stablecoin ecosystem.

Telecommunications & Media

Telecoms big 3 seek rebound by restoring trust in new year amid hacking fallout

South Korea's three mobile carriers have made restoring customer trust their top priority for 2026 after a string of security incidents last year, including a USIM hack at SK Telecom, unauthorised micropayments at KT and a personal data leak at LG Uplus. The companies also plan to shore up their core telecom businesses while expanding B2B AI solutions such as AI data centres and enterprise AI services to improve results. Analysts expect combined 2025 revenue to exceed 60 trillion won.