Bae Jae-kyu (배재규), chief executive of Korea Investment Trust Management, said investors should focus on direction and time and invest long term in growth industries rather than single-stock leveraged ETFs. He said short-term trading and leverage can be damaging, and asked that questions on leverage be limited. Bae reiterated his view that such products should be allowed to fade naturally. He also presented five strategic industries and said the firm will list a related ETF on Aug. 11.

More mid-sized and small companies are entering advanced industries using South Korea’s corporate restructuring scheme. The Industry Ministry panel approved 31 firms in three rounds from December to July, with plans to invest 439.5 billion won over five years and hire 927 people. Many shift existing process technologies into new markets such as semiconductor glass substrates, AR modules and EV components. The ministry is offering investment-attraction consulting, while petrochemicals pursue capacity cuts through separate restructuring projects.