Glossary: 50 Korean Market Terms (Korean → English)
50 commonly used Korean capital-markets terms, in Korean, with romanization and a plain-English explanation. This is a working reference for reading DART filings, KRX notices, and Korean financial media — not a substitute for a professional translation when precision matters (e.g., in a legal or tax context).
| Korean term (romanization) | English explanation |
|---|---|
| 유상증자 Yusang jeungja | Paid-in capital increase / rights offering: issuing new shares for cash consideration, diluting existing holders unless they participate. |
| 무상증자 Musang jeungja | Bonus issue / capitalization issue: new shares distributed to existing shareholders for free, funded from reserves, with no new capital raised. |
| 감자 Gamja | Capital reduction: reducing outstanding share capital, sometimes via reverse stock split, often used to absorb accumulated losses. |
| 유상감자 Yusang gamja | Paid capital reduction: capital reduction where cash is returned to shareholders in exchange for cancelled shares. |
| 무상감자 Musang gamja | Free capital reduction: shares cancelled without compensation to shareholders, typically to offset accumulated deficits. |
| 공시 Gongsi | Disclosure: any mandatory or voluntary public filing by a listed company, generally made through DART. |
| 수시공시 Susi gongsi | Ad-hoc / material event disclosure: filings triggered by specific events (M&A, major contracts, litigation) rather than a fixed schedule. |
| 정기공시 Jeonggi gongsi | Periodic disclosure: scheduled filings such as annual, semi-annual, and quarterly business reports. |
| 코스닥 이전상장 Kosdak ijeon sangjang | KOSDAQ-to-KOSPI transfer listing: a company moving its listing from the KOSDAQ board to the KOSPI board once it meets KOSPI's requirements. |
| 상장폐지 Sangjang pyeji | Delisting: removal of a company's shares from exchange trading, whether voluntary or forced (e.g., for governance or financial-health failures). |
| 관리종목 Gwalli jongmok | Administrative issue / designated issue: a stock flagged by KRX for elevated delisting risk or other concerns, subject to extra restrictions. |
| 우선주 Useonju | Preferred stock: a share class with priority on dividends (and sometimes fixed dividend rates) but typically no or limited voting rights. |
| 보통주 Botongju | Common stock: standard voting shares, as distinct from preferred stock. |
| 액면분할 Aengmyeon bunhal | Stock split: dividing existing shares into multiple shares, lowering per-share price without changing total market value. |
| 액면병합 Aengmyeon byeonghap | Reverse stock split: combining multiple shares into fewer shares, raising per-share price. |
| 자사주매입 Jasaju maeip | Share buyback: a company repurchasing its own shares from the market. |
| 배당락 Baedangrak | Ex-dividend (date): the date on/after which a share trades without entitlement to the upcoming declared dividend. |
| 권리락 Gwollirak | Ex-rights (date): the date on/after which a share trades without entitlement to a pending rights offering or bonus issue. |
| 시가총액 Siga chongaek | Market capitalization: share price multiplied by shares outstanding. |
| 매매거래정지 Maemae georae jeongji | Trading halt/suspension: a temporary stop in trading of a specific stock, often pending a material disclosure. |
| 상한가 Sanghanga | Daily upper price limit: the maximum a stock is allowed to rise in a single trading day under KRX's price-limit system. |
| 하한가 Hahanga | Daily lower price limit: the maximum a stock is allowed to fall in a single trading day under KRX's price-limit system. |
| 서킷브레이커 Seokit beureikeo | Circuit breaker: a market-wide trading halt triggered automatically when an index falls a set percentage, pausing trading to cool volatility. |
| 사이드카 Saideuka | Sidecar: a temporary halt on program (index futures/options-linked) trading triggered by a sharp futures price move, distinct from a full circuit breaker. |
| 대차거래 Daecha georae | Securities lending transaction: borrowing/lending shares, commonly the mechanism used to source shares for short selling. |
| 공매도 Gongmaedo | Short selling: selling borrowed shares in anticipation of buying them back at a lower price; see this site's dedicated short-selling page for current status. |
| 신용거래 Sinyong georae | Margin trading: buying (or selling) securities using broker-extended credit rather than fully paid cash. |
| 미수거래 Misu georae | Unsettled/deficient-payment trading: buying shares without full cash on hand by the settlement date, a retail-specific credit mechanism with strict penalties for failure to cover. |
| 예탁결제원 Yetak gyeoljewon (KSD) | Korea Securities Depository: the central securities depository handling settlement, custody, and registration for Korean securities. |
| 금융감독원 Geumyung gamdogwon (FSS) | Financial Supervisory Service: Korea's financial regulator responsible for supervision and, via DART, corporate disclosure oversight. |
| 금융위원회 Geumyung wiwonhoe (FSC) | Financial Services Commission: Korea's top financial policy-making body, distinct from (and senior to) the FSS. |
| 한국거래소 Hanguk georaeso (KRX) | Korea Exchange: operator of KOSPI, KOSDAQ, KONEX, and Korea's derivatives markets. |
| 전자공시시스템 Jeonja gongsi siseutem (DART) | Electronic disclosure system: DART, the FSS's online repository of corporate filings. |
| 지주회사 Jiju hoesa | Holding company: a company whose primary business is owning controlling stakes in other (operating) companies. |
| 순환출자 Sunhwan chulja | Circular shareholding: a structure where Company A owns B, B owns C, and C owns back into A, historically used by some chaebol to concentrate control. |
| 특수관계인 Teuksu gwangyein | Related party: an individual or entity connected to a company (controlling family, affiliates) subject to related-party-transaction disclosure rules. |
| 최대주주 Choedae juju | Largest shareholder: the shareholder (often the founding family or a holding company) with the largest stake, frequently the reference point for control-related disclosure. |
| 자기자본이익률 Jagijabon iikryul (ROE) | Return on equity: net income divided by shareholders' equity, a standard profitability/capital-efficiency metric referenced heavily in Value-up Program discussions. |
| 주가수익비율 Jugasuik biyul (PER) | Price-to-earnings ratio: share price divided by earnings per share. |
| 주가순자산비율 Jugasunjasan biyul (PBR) | Price-to-book ratio: share price divided by book value per share; central to 'Korea discount' discussions since many Korean stocks trade below 1x. |
| 시가배당률 Sigabaedangryul | Dividend yield (at market price): annual dividend per share divided by current share price. |
| 유통주식수 Yutong jusiksu | Shares outstanding in circulation: shares actually available for trading, as distinct from total issued shares. |
| 자유유통비율 Jayu yutong biyul (free float) | Free-float ratio: the proportion of shares outstanding available for public trading, excluding strategic/locked-up holdings; used in index weighting. |
| 우회상장 Uhoe sangjang | Backdoor listing: a private company becoming listed by merging into an already-listed shell, bypassing a standard IPO process. |
| 기업인수목적회사 Gieop insu mokjeok hoesa (SPAC) | Special purpose acquisition company: a shell company listed to raise cash for the specific purpose of merging with a private target. |
| 기술특례상장 Gisul teungnye sangjang | Technology special listing: a KOSDAQ listing track for pre-profit companies (often biotech/deep tech) that pass an external technology evaluation instead of standard profitability tests. |
| 보호예수 Boho yesu | Lock-up: a contractual restriction preventing certain shareholders (e.g., pre-IPO investors, insiders) from selling shares for a set period after listing. |
| 블록딜 Beullokdil | Block deal / block trade: a large negotiated off-exchange (or off-order-book) sale of shares, typically to institutional buyers, often at a discount to market price. |
| 전환사채 Jeonhwan sachae (CB) | Convertible bond: debt that can be converted into a set number of shares under specified conditions. |
| 신주인수권부사채 Sinju insugwonbu sachae (BW) | Bond with warrants: debt issued together with detachable warrants giving the right to subscribe for new shares separately from the bond itself. |
Frequently asked questions
- Is this glossary a substitute for professional translation?
- No. It is a quick-reference aid for reading Korean market disclosures and media. For anything legally or financially material, use a qualified translator or professional.