◆이코노미스트가 글로벌 차세대 경제 리더, 청소년 기자단 영 저널리스트와 함께합니다. 영 저널리스트 기자단은 프리미엄 경제지 이코노미스트, 논술 전문 기관 Ni 에듀케이션과 함께 주요 시사 이슈를 팔로우업하고 직접 기획, 취재, 기사 작성 활동을 하며 사회적 문제를 고심하고 해결 방안을 제시하는 과정을 경험하게 됩니다. 이번 기사는 영 저널리스트 기자단이 현 사회현상에 대해 학생들 시선에서 ‘왜’라는 질문을 갖고 직접 취재해 작성한 기획기사입니다. 영 저널리스트 기자단의 기획기사는 영문과 국문, 두 형태로 게재합니다.  

The Korean stock market has recently experienced an unprecedented boom. After remaining stagnant for a long period, KOSPI benefited from the revision of the Commercial Act and the semiconductor cycle. This was largely driven by Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, the two largest companies on KOSPI by market capitalization. Their earnings improved significantly as demand for semiconductors from big tech companies surged. In addition, the weakening Korean won contributed to increased foreign buying, causing KOSPI to surge in a short period of time.

However, KOSPI could not avoid a correction following its rapid rise. The KOSPI index, which had been forecast to reach 10,000, plunged to 6,000, while foreign investors quickly exited the market to take profits. SK Hynix, which had risen above 3 million won, fell to around 1.1 million won, losing nearly two-thirds of its value. Following several circuit breakers, concerns about a semiconductor bubble deepened. What ultimately stopped the decline was the performance of the big tech companies, the largest consumers of semiconductors. Both Microsoft and Alphabet reported earnings above market expectations, helping halt KOSPI's decline. KOSPI is currently moving sideways again, maintaining high volatility without a clear trend.

This volatility can be a major burden for individual investors who have recently entered the market. In particular, it can be especially challenging for teenage investors, who have recently shown growing interest in the stock market. So, how do teenage investors view the current market, where sharp rises and falls continue to occur? How much profit are teenage investors making, and how are they investing? We spoke directly with teenage stock investors to find out.

“I'm so anxious that I check stock prices even during class.”

With relatively small amounts of capital and limited access to information, teenage investors are particularly vulnerable to highly volatile markets. As a result, they need to make more cautious investment decisions and adopt more careful strategies than adult investors. We first surveyed 15 teenagers about their current investment activities.

When asked, “Are you currently investing in stocks?”, 13 out of 15 said that they were investing in KOSPI, and 12 of them said that they owned shares of SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics. When asked, “Have you ever felt anxious about the semiconductor cycle and market volatility?”, 14 responded that they had either experienced such anxiety in the past or were currently experiencing it.

Seventeen-year-old Kim Woo-jin (pseudonym), who participated in the interview, began investing in stocks one year ago with the help of his parents.

“My investment period happened to coincide with KOSPI's rise, so I made a profit of more than 20 percent. Because of that, I found stock investment attractive from the very beginning,” he said.

As KOSPI continued to rise, Kim began making additional purchases in an attempt to chase the rising market. However, KOSPI eventually began to decline at the end of June this year.

When asked how he felt at the time, Kim said, “KOSPI fell so quickly that I was really shocked. As volatility increased, so did my anxiety. I was so nervous that I checked stock prices dozens of times a day, even during class at school.”

Kim is now considering relatively less volatile assets such as bonds, as well as blue-chip stocks with high dividend yields. However, he expressed concerns about continuing to invest, saying, “I'm not sure whether I can continue investing because of the anxiety.”

Kim's experience shows that teenage investors are not simply seeking profits; they are also directly experiencing market volatility and the risk of losses. Like Kim, more teenagers are becoming uncertain about how to respond to the fluctuations of KOSPI. As more young investors approach stocks like a form of gambling in pursuit of high returns, the number of teenagers suffering significant losses may also increase.

So, what do the growing number of teenage stock investors need? In order to support their investment activities and help them develop sound financial habits, the first priority should be systematic financial education.

When we asked the 15 students who participated in the interviews for their opinions on financial and stock-market education, all of them agreed that “financial education would be helpful.” However, only six students said that mandatory education before investing was necessary. The other nine said that it would be more appropriate to require pre-investment education only for certain high-risk products, such as leveraged investments.

Kim also agreed that financial education was necessary, but said, “Rather than simply restricting investment experience, I think it is more important to provide education that helps students understand the risks and losses that can actually occur in the market.”

As interest in the Korean stock market grows and more teenagers participate in investing, financial education needs to evolve beyond simply teaching students how to invest. It should focus on developing their ability to assess risk and control their emotions. In particular, in a highly volatile market environment, it is important to help teenage investors develop long-term financial literacy rather than focusing solely on short-term returns. To achieve this, the government and education authorities should establish a more specific and systematic financial and stock-market education system for teenagers.

The Korean stock market recently experienced a major boom driven by the Commercial Act revision and the semiconductor cycle. following sharp correction and high volatility have created significant challenges for new and teenage investors.

A survey of 15 teenagers showed that most invested in major semiconductor companies and experienced anxiety about market volatility. Teenage investors need financial education that teaches them to understand risks and control emotional decision-making. The government and education authorities should establish systematic financial and stock-market education programs for teenagers.

 

 

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