Korean and global market experts will gather to discuss broader growth, Value-Up reforms and what will make foreign capital stay.

The Korea Herald will hold its annual HIT Forum on Tuesday, bringing together capital market experts and global investors to discuss emerging opportunities in South Korea's equity market and ways to strengthen its global competitiveness.

Under the theme "Korea Premium: Connecting Korean Opportunities with Global Capital," the forum will explore how Korea can move beyond its long-standing market discount, attract global investment and foster sustainable capital market growth. The "Korea discount" refers to the persistent tendency of Korean listed companies to trade at lower valuations than global peers, a phenomenon long linked to factors such as concentrated family-controlled ownership structures, low dividend payouts and weaker shareholder returns. The forum's focus on a durable reversal of that discount comes as the government-backed Value-Up initiative, launched in 2024, pushes companies to improve corporate governance and return more capital to shareholders through tax incentives and disclosure reforms rather than binding mandates.

Lee In-hyung, vice president of the Korea Capital Market Institute, will deliver the first keynote address on the market innovation and Value-Up efforts needed to turn the "Korea discount" into a "Korea premium." Lee joined the institute in 2008 and has held senior research and leadership positions, including as head of its capital markets and research coordination divisions. He has also served on government and financial market advisory bodies.

The second keynote speaker, Alexander Treves, managing director at JPMorgan Asset Management, will examine Korea's place in global portfolios amid shifting capital flows and emerging investment opportunities. His address comes at a time when global fund managers are reassessing emerging market allocations across Asia, making the question of Korea's weight in institutional portfolios especially timely. Treves heads the investment specialist team in Asia within the firm's Emerging Markets and Asia Pacific Equities team. He has more than 30 years of asset management experience and previously held senior positions at Fidelity International, including head of Japanese equities and head of Indian investments.

A panel discussion will follow on whether Korea can become a key destination for global capital. Treves will be joined by Frank Benzimra, Societe Generale's head of Asia equity strategy; Park Jeong-woo, Nomura's senior economist for Korea and Taiwan; and Joon Seok, Morgan Stanley's chief Korea equity strategist and head of financials research.

Benzimra brings more than three decades of experience across European and Asian equity markets, while Park specializes in macroeconomic trends and policy in Korea and Taiwan. Seok has spent more than a decade at Morgan Stanley Korea, focusing on Korean equity strategy, financial research and global investors' views of the domestic market.

Choi Young-jin, chief marketing officer and executive vice president at Hanwha Asset Management, will moderate the discussion. Choi leads the firm's global "K-ETF export" strategy, connecting international investors with Korea's strategic industries through overseas-listed funds.

About 400 participants, including Korean and international business executives, diplomats and university students, are expected to attend. The forum will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in central Seoul.

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