A view of the Korea Exchange (KRX) headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Dec. 29 (Korea Bizwire) — The total proceeds from initial public offerings (IPOs) in the South Korean stock market rose 14.9 percent in 2025 from a year earlier, backed by increased liquidity, data showed Monday.
The proceeds from IPOs stood at 4.57 trillion won (US$3.19 billion) this year, up from last year’s 3.97 trillion won, according to the data from consulting service provider IR Kudos Corp.
A total of 77 companies made their debuts on the main bourse KOSPI and the tech-heavy KOSDAQ markets in 2025, compared with 78 companies going public a year earlier.
LG CNS Co., an information technology affiliate of LG Electronics Inc., raised the largest amount of IPO funds at 1.19 trillion won, followed by DH Shipbuilding Co. with 500 billion won.
“Momentum for large IPOs is expected to remain strong next year amid abundant liquidity, though new regulations could remain a factor,” the company said in a release.
Starting next year, more than 40 percent of IPO shares will be allocated to institutional investors that commit to holding the shares for a certain period, up from the current 20 percent.
The measure comes amid criticism that some institutional investors have reaped quick profits by selling IPO shares on the first day of trading.
(Yonhap)
