追蹤SK海力士和三星電子的槓桿型ETF被批評為加劇市場波動的元兇。這些產品於五月底密集上市，每日為達成承諾報酬所需的大量再平衡交易，放大了股市的漲跌幅度。李在明總統敦促金融監督院和韓國交易所負責人迅速處理槓桿型ETF問題，並準備後續因應措施。市場參與者預期政府將推出相關措施，包括可能提高投資槓桿型ETF的最低保證金要求，以遏制這些高風險產品對市場的不穩定影響。
這場市場動盪也逐漸演變為政治爭議焦點。最大在野黨國民力量黨指控李在明政府在推動雄心勃勃的股市目標的同時，忽視了槓桿風險不斷累積的警訊，鼓勵了過度冒險行為。該黨黨鞭鄭點植表示，光是看著Kospi的走勢就令人頭暈目眩。儘管Kospi指數本月稍早跌入熊市，較高點回落達20%，但2026年以來仍累計上漲約75%。李在明將縮小所謂的「韓國折價」列為施政重點，其政府已推出打擊股價操縱和強化股東權益等措施，以提振股市信心。
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung acknowledged on July 15, 2026, that the domestic stock market is "quite unstable" and would need time to stabilize following a "historically unprecedented massive surge." Korean stocks have experienced extreme volatility in recent weeks, with the Kospi swinging more than 8% upward on Wednesday after plunging nearly 9% on Monday. The $4 trillion market, propelled by a world-beating rally driven by chipmakers SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics, has become highly susceptible to shifts in AI trade sentiment.
Leveraged exchange-traded funds tracking SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics have been identified as a key driver of the amplified market swings. More than a dozen leveraged products debuted in late May, and the massive daily rebalancing trades required to deliver their promised returns have magnified volatility. President Lee urged the Financial Supervisory Service and the Korea Exchange to swiftly address the leveraged ETF issue and prepare follow-up measures. Market participants anticipate regulatory steps such as raising the minimum deposit requirements for investing in these high-risk products to curb their destabilizing effects.
The market turmoil has also become a political flashpoint. The main opposition People Power Party accused the Lee administration of encouraging excessive risk-taking by promoting ambitious stock market targets while ignoring repeated warnings about growing leverage beneath the market's headline gains. Despite the Kospi falling into bear-market territory earlier in July with a 20% decline from its peak, the index remains up approximately 75% for 2026. President Lee has made narrowing the so-called "Korea discount" a central policy objective, rolling out measures to curb stock-price manipulation and strengthen shareholder rights to bolster investor confidence.