Korea Exchange Expands Value-Up Consulting for Small and Medium Listed Companies

The Korea Exchange announced on the 19th that it will expand its value-up consulting project to support the establishment and disclosure of corporate value enhancement plans for small and medium-sized listed companies.

Since May last year, the Korea Exchange has been implementing the value-up program and has been providing one-on-one customized consulting to help small and medium-sized listed companies, which lack human and physical infrastructure, with the disclosure of corporate value enhancement and the establishment of plans. In 2024, 55 companies (9 KOSPI companies and 46 KOSDAQ companies) received consulting.

Provided by Korea Exchange

Entering its second year, the Exchange plans to expand the scope and scale of value-up consulting compared to the previous year, prioritizing companies willing to participate in value-up disclosures to activate participation in the value-up program among small and medium-sized listed companies.

First, the total asset threshold for consulting targets, which was previously under 300 billion KRW for KOSPI and under 150 billion KRW for KOSDAQ, will be raised to under 500 billion KRW to expand the pool of companies eligible for consulting. The consulting scale will also increase to a total of 120 companies, including 50 KOSPI and 70 KOSDAQ companies (previously 50 KOSPI and 50 KOSDAQ). However, companies designated as management stocks, those under trading suspension (due to substantial review reasons), those with embezzlement or breach of trust incidents within the past two years, or those with a history of being designated as non-compliant disclosure corporations will be excluded.

The Exchange explained, "For companies applying for consulting, we will strengthen support by holding briefings and workshops introducing disclosure writing cases of companies that have already completed disclosures, so that it can be linked to the actual establishment and disclosure of value-up plans." Consulting will also cover current status diagnosis such as time-series analysis of financial indicators and competitor comparison, presentation of key analysis indicators reflecting the industry and characteristics of individual companies, and guidance on suitable disclosure cases and practical disclosure writing procedures.

The Exchange plans to select consulting institutions through a public bidding process next month, provide guidance and accept applications from listed companies, and begin consulting from April. Multiple external specialized institutions will conduct the consulting.

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