[2023 Capital Investment Awards] Chairman Son Byung-du: "We Will Strive to Restore Trust for Capital Market Growth"

Congratulatory Address by Sohn Byung-doo, Chairman of Korea Exchange

Nice to meet you. I am Son Byung-doo, Chairman of the Korea Exchange. It is December, the end of the year. There is something as important as starting work well, and that is finishing well. I believe there is no more perfect way to wrap up the year than achieving excellent results and even receiving awards.

Son Byung-doo, Chairman of the Korea Exchange, is delivering a congratulatory speech at the '2023 Asia Capital Investment Awards Ceremony' held on the 5th at Lotte Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

To the recipients of the '2023 Asia Capital Investment Awards,' my sincere congratulations. I am very pleased to be part of this meaningful occasion. I would also like to express my deep gratitude to Representative Yoon Chang-hyun, who joined us despite his busy schedule, as well as to President Woo Byung-hyun of Asia Economy and all the staff who worked hard to prepare the awards ceremony.

This year, our capital market has gone through many difficult times in various ways. Nevertheless, there have been significant advances in some areas. First, the Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) market showed remarkable performance. As of the end of November, it reached 120 trillion won, demonstrating an astonishing growth trend. It is not just about quantity. Various products that capture investor sentiment continue to be launched, establishing themselves as convenient and safe investment destinations.

The ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) era has also been accelerated. We have begun to lay the foundation for a sustainable management ecosystem that connects ESG disclosure, evaluation, and investment. Moreover, while keeping pace with global ESG trends, we have strived to create systems that consider domestic realities.

We have also established the foundation for the digital era. A new challenge has begun in the securities industry with the token securities business emerging as a new growth engine. AI-based customer services have expanded, and innovations have been introduced to the Mobile Trading System (MTS).

Despite going through challenging times both domestically and internationally, I would like to once again express my gratitude to everyone who has worked hard for the future of the capital market.

Our Exchange has also taken the lead to support the securities industry's efforts to resolve the Korea Discount. We have improved dividend policies, expanded English disclosures, and extended trading hours for derivative products.

Despite these many efforts, there were regrettable incidents we could not prevent. There were events shaking the trust in the capital market, such as unfair trading using Contracts for Difference (CFD) and concerns over the insolvency of real estate Project Financing (PF). Trust is like the foundation of a building; if trust is not firmly established in the capital market, no matter how good the materials used above, it will easily collapse.

Our Exchange plans to focus more on restoring trust for the greater growth of the capital market. I hope the capital market leaders present today will actively participate as well.

Lastly, I pondered on what words of encouragement would be best for today's awardees. Having attended many award ceremonies, I have realized that warm cheers and applause often touch the heart more deeply than well-prepared speeches. I hope everyone will enthusiastically respond each time an awardee steps onto the stage today.

Once again, congratulations to all the awardees.

Thank you.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.