U.S. residents now have a way to purchase stocks listed on the Korean stock market—including Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, HD Hyundai Electric, Doosan Energy, Hyosung Heavy Industries, and LS Electric—as well as the KODEX AI Core Power Infrastructure ETF.
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In May 2026, Samsung Securities partnered with IBKR (Interactive Brokers), the largest global brokerage firm in the U.S. This partnership allows investors to purchase Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and HD Electric stocks and related ETFs in US dollars through IBKR, enabling them to make purchases in Korean Won via a Samsung Securities account affiliated with IBKR.
The sudden surge in Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix stock prices in May 2026 was largely influenced by the direct purchase of these stocks in US dollars from the U.S. through the partnership between IBKR and Samsung Electronics. Inflation Outlook: Restoration of Iranian Oil Facilities Expected to Take at Least One Year
Negotiations between former President Trump and Iran have been postponed once again.
Trump’s side holds a hardline stance, aiming to comprehensively and decisively resolve all tangled issues, including the nuclear deal, in a single meeting.
On the other hand, Iran maintains a cautious position, insisting that the most sensitive nuclear issue be excluded for now and that economic sanctions relief, such as war reparations, be agreed upon first, with the nuclear issue to be discussed secondarily. This creates a significant difference in opinion.6
From the perspective of investing in a monthly installment pension ETF portfolio, international politics does not have as significant an impact as one might expect. However, in this case, I am paying close attention because there is a high possibility that the U.S. Federal Reserve (FED) will raise U.S. Treasury yields if inflation rises, raising concerns that the 30-year U.S. Treasury yield might surpass 5.1% and reach 6%.
In the past, there have been many instances where U.S. stocks fell sharply the moment the 30-year U.S. Treasury yield rose to 5.2%. From the perspective of someone like me aiming for a 30-year long-term investment, if the U.S. government were to pay a fixed interest rate of 5.2% to 6%, I would choose to purchase safe U.S. Treasury bonds rather than stressing over buying U.S. stocks or corporate bonds.
Currently, Iran is facing a severe economic crisis and political pressure simultaneously, with public discontent growing as internal inflation skyrockets by over 70 percent.
In response, Trump has strongly criticized the painful failure of previous foreign policy, claiming that the conciliatory agreements concluded during the Obama administration actually gave Iran the time and opportunity to develop nuclear weapons to its heart’s content.
Conversely, it appears highly likely that the Trump administration will forcefully stop collecting tolls on the Strait of Khomurz and bring an end to the conflict in the Middle East through nuclear negotiations.
If this happens, oil prices will naturally stabilize, and as U.S. companies enter Iran and neighboring oil-producing nations to repair destroyed nuclear facilities, revenue for U.S. infrastructure firms will increase, leading to a scenario of growth. The enthusiasm for AI infrastructure investment remains alive.
Today in the U.S. stock market, memory semiconductor-related ETFs, including Nvidia, which have been leading the market, all showed weakness and declined.
While the stock prices of Micron and SK Hynix are also showing weakness triggered by the Samsung Electronics strike, this is merely a pretext to drive down prices.
This phenomenon clearly demonstrates that the market’s intense interest and massive capital, previously concentrated in the memory semiconductor sector, are rapidly shifting toward the AI power infrastructure sector, an unstoppable trend of the times.
The U.S. government is also fostering a boom in AI data center construction to support the growth of construction-related industries such as Caterpillar.
However, U.S. power infrastructure is highly underdeveloped, making it difficult to supply high-voltage power to other regions even after AI data centers are built.
Continued growth of Korean power equipment companies due to U.S.-China trade tensions
Due to a shortage of power generation facilities, the trend is moving toward constructing small modular reactors (SMRs), which can be built quickly, near AI data centers. While Chinese companies previously supplied power generation equipment to the U.S.,
In RCTR, a nuclear power-themed ETF actively traded on the U.S. stock market, Doosan Energy, a representative South Korean beneficiary of the nuclear power sector, is included with a significant weighting of approximately 5 percent, drawing attention.
However, blue-chip companies with global competitiveness specializing in the production of substations, generator equipment, and high-voltage transmission lines—such as HD Hyundai Electric, Hyosung Heavy Industries, and LS Electric—are unfortunately currently listed only on the Korean stock market.
Therefore, for local U.S. investors to invest directly in these attractive companies, they must go through the cumbersome process of opening a new dedicated account with a global brokerage firm like IBKR, converting their dollars into Korean currency, and purchasing Korean stocks.
How U.S. Residents Can Purchase Stock ETFs Listed on the Korean Stock Market
RCTR, a nuclear power-themed ETF listed on the U.S. stock market, holds 5% of Doosan Energy, a beneficiary of the nuclear power industry. Since HD Electric, Hyosung, and LS Electric—which produce substations, generator equipment, and high-voltage transmission lines—are listed exclusively on the Korean stock market, U.S. investors wishing to invest directly must open an account with IBKR and purchase Korean stocks using US dollars.
To explain in more detail:
Samsung Securities and IBKR have partnered to provide an integrated foreign investor account service. This means that if a U.S. resident purchases Hyosung Heavy Industries or LS Electric, which are listed on the Korean stock market, through IBKR, they can directly buy shares within the Korean domestic market via the partnership service between IBKR and Samsung Securities.
If purchasing individual AI power stocks is cumbersome, you may also purchase the KODEX AI Core Power Infrastructure ETF. The four stocks mentioned above account for a concentrated investment of 68% of the portfolio. If you prefer a more diversified investment, you can purchase the RISE AI Power Equipment ETF. It is diversified across 16 power infrastructure companies.
To explain this process in more detail for easier understanding, Samsung Securities in Korea and IBKR in the U.S. have formed a strategic partnership to provide a very convenient integrated account service for foreign investors.
In other words, if a U.S. resident places a buy order for key power infrastructure stocks listed on the Korean stock market, such as Hyosung Heavy Industries or LS Electric, through the IBKR platform, the structure is rational; based on the close and secure partnership system between the two brokerage firms, the corresponding stock can be purchased directly within the Korean domestic market.
If you find it cumbersome to analyze and purchase these individual AI power stocks one by one, purchasing the KODEX AI Power Core Equipment ETF listed on the domestic market is an excellent alternative.
This product has the advantage of allowing highly concentrated investment in the high-growth power infrastructure industry, as the weight of the four core blue-chip stocks mentioned earlier reaches 68 percent of the total. If you desire a more broadly diversified and peace of mind-boggling investment strategy, we highly recommend incorporating the RISE AI Power Equipment ETF into your portfolio.
This product is evenly diversified across 16 promising domestic power infrastructure companies, significantly reducing the risks associated with individual firms.
If you wish to broaden your investment scope beyond the AI power infrastructure industry to include high-quality Korean memory semiconductor companies with superior competitiveness, purchasing EWY, a representative Korean index-tracking ETF listed on the U.S. market, is also a good option.
Through this, you can execute a highly diversified and balanced index investment across Korea’s major core industries with just a single, simple transaction.
Ultimately, rather than being overly emotional about short-term market crashes or fluctuations, we can respond effectively as monthly installment pension investors who consistently purchase assets on a fixed date each month. It is sufficient to respond by slowly accumulating assets of excellent value with a long-term perspective. Please take the time to calmly read the informative investment articles organized below for easy viewing, and try constructing a solid asset allocation portfolio tailored to your investment style and goals.