After South Korean stocks plummeted, wreaths were laid in front of the National Assembly as retail investors demand the abolition of leveraged ETFs for Samsung and SK Hynix.

According to a report by The Chosun Ilbo, South Korean individual investors’ dissatisfaction has surged after single-stock leveraged ETFs tracking Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix plummeted. On that day, around 30 mourning wreaths were placed in front of the National Assembly building in Yeouido, Seoul, calling for the scrapping of the related 2x leveraged ETF products. The wreaths were sent by the individual investor group "Stock Market Normalization Council", whose demands include strengthening investor protection and pushing for the delisting of such products. The group argues that Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix single-stock leveraged ETFs amplified stock price volatility and exacerbated retail investors’ losses. The protest came amid sharp fluctuations in South Korea’s stock market. On the previous trading day, the KOSPI (Korea Composite Stock Price Index) plunged more than 8% at one point, triggering the circuit breaker; the single-stock leveraged products tracking Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix also tumbled around 25%. Against the backdrop of a downturn in the AI hardware chain and sharp falls among semiconductor leaders, the risks of highly leveraged products were rapidly magnified. South Korea’s financial authorities have started tightening trading thresholds. The Financial Services Commission plans to require individual investors to hold a minimum cash margin of at least 30 million won when purchasing new or additional single-stock leveraged products starting from July 31. South Korea’s Financial Services Commission Chairman Lee Eui-keun said industry estimates show that after the measure takes effect, related trading accounts may drop from around 100,000 to about 10,000, with trading volume likely to decrease by around 60%.