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A civil servant’s investment strategy, which involved wagering 500 million South Korean won through leverage on SK Hynix stock, has sparked significant online discussion.

Economic expert Mr. A recently presented the investment story of Mr. B, a government employee in his 30s, on his blog. Mr. A stated, “In November last year, Mr. B, a civil servant in his 30s, gained public interest by wagering 500 million won on SK Hynix stock prices. What’s intriguing is that not all of the investment money came from his personal funds—390 million won of the 500 million won was obtained through borrowing.”

As per the screenshot provided by Mr. A, Mr. B’s overall spending on SK Hynix amounted to 538,660,000 won, with an average cost of 619,000 won per share and a holding of 814 shares. Out of the total investment, 390,496,000 won was obtained through borrowing.

Mr. A stated that the market conditions during that period were not positive. He wrote, “In contrast to the present KOSPI, which is showing signs of recovery, most investors were looking to withdraw their funds at that time, with institutions and foreign investors selling off stocks for profits, leading to widespread concern. Some even ridiculed Mr. B by saying, ‘The Han River has ended.’ Indeed, following Mr. B’s post, SK Hynix’s stock price kept dropping, reaching 501,000 won.”

Later, Mr. B clarified the circumstances via an anonymous community. He stated, “When the stock price fell to 501,000 won, I got a call from the securities company because of an inadequate collateral ratio. In the margin trading system, a specific amount needed to be kept as collateral, which in my case was 80 million won.” He further mentioned, “To prevent a forced sale, I changed the 80 million won from a revolving loan into cash stocks. The monthly interest for 300 million won under margin trading was approximately 2.6 million won.”

After the stock price recovered, Mr. B sold all his shares, making a profit of approximately 10%. He said, “From last year until now, I earned roughly 140 million won by buying and selling semiconductor stocks. Looking back, when the stock price dropped to 500,000 won, I almost went to the Han River. After that, I was able to brush off jokes and criticism.” He added, “I believe the semiconductor industry will keep rising until 2028. Once the funds are settled, I plan to save some and reinvest the rest.”

As per the provided account information, Mr. B achieved a profit of approximately 10% through SK Hynix transactions. The actual gain amounted to roughly 50 million won, with the total profit from June 2025 to January 2026 totaling 141 million won.

Mr. A shared his perspective on the case. He mentioned, “I questioned whether I could have approached it in that manner, but the answer was no. Firstly, I wouldn’t have used leverage, and I wouldn’t have even considered semiconductor stocks in November.” He added, “Of course, I don’t believe it’s a perfect investment strategy even today, and since Mr. B referred to his actions as ‘madness and obsession,’ he is likely to focus on more stable investments for the time being. Nevertheless, given that a young individual achieved the desired outcome, it’s a positive result, isn’t it?”