The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) experienced a devastating peak-to-trough crash of 44% last month.
The KOSPI skyrocketed more than 170% in FY26 due to multiple factors, including the artificial intelligence (AI) tailwind.
South Korean chip makers Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix Inc surged a crazy 459% and 807%, respectively, in FY26.
They make up about half of the market's total market cap, which means KOSPI is a concentrated bet despite being home to 800 stocks.
It's no surprise that after stock price gains like that, some investors got a bit wary and chose to take their profits and run.
That's one reason why the KOSPI crashed on 23 June, falling 10% in one day, and sparking a five-week sell-off.
SK Hynix shares lost just over half their value, and Samsung shares dropped 41% before the KOSPI bottomed out on 29 July.
Australian investors who own SK Hynix and Samsung shares directly felt the full force of that fall.
They also felt it via the iShares MSCI South Korea AUD ETF (ASX: IKO) — the Australian market's top performing ETF of FY26.
IKO ETF delivered an amazing total return of 171% in FY26. The ASX IKO unit price fell 37% during the KOSPI crash.
Image source: Getty Images
What's happened to KOSPI and IKO ETF since the crash?
For the record, IKO ETF doesn't track the KOSPI.
Instead, the fund seeks to mimic the performance of the MSCI Korea 25/50 Index before fees.
The MSCI Korea 25/50 Index focuses on South Korean large caps and mid caps, but in practical terms, it captures 85% of the KOSPI.
SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics make up 46% of the MSCI Korea 25/50 Index market cap.
IKO ETF has been trading for a long time.
Its inception was in the US in May 2000. It was listed on the ASX in November 2017.
IKO was subsequently restructured into an Australian-domiciled ETF in October 2018.
As reflected in IKO ETF's history in the chart above, the South Korean market has not been a strong performer over the long term.
There are many reasons for this, and it's summed up by what the professional traders used to call the 'Korea discount'.
We explain the Korea discount in an earlier story.
Despite its incredible 171% return in FY26, IKO remains a relatively small ASX ETF.
Aussie investors have put about $213 million into the ETF to date, according to ASX data.
That compares to $25.377 billion invested in the market's largest ETF, Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX: VAS).
While small in comparative scale, it's worth noting the relatively rapid rise in investment in IKO ETF.
ASX investors piled in while watching the KOSPI's stratospheric rise.
Between January and June 2026 inclusive, IKO's funds under management rose 40%.
Australians are much more in-tune with overseas markets than they used to be.
Experts agree our home bias toward S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares is shifting.
Since bottoming out on 29 July, the KOSPI has rebounded 23%, and IKO has recovered 25%.
SK Hynix shares have lifted 20% and Samsung Electronics stock is 30% higher.
The AI investment megatrend has a long way to go.
As RMIT University finance professor Angel Zhong points out, markets "often move through cycles of exuberance and reassessment".
Zhong said AI would continue to transform industries:
The AI revolution is creating genuine economic opportunities, but markets often price in expectations long before those benefits are fully realised.
