Kim Moon-soo's 19-year-old Hynix stock investment potentially yields 100-fold return; reports say he holds 30 shares

Kim Moon-soo, a former presidential candidate and ex-Minister of Employment and Labor, is reportedly holding SK Hynix shares purchased nearly two decades ago, which have potentially grown to be worth 100 times their original value. This revelation has brought renewed attention to a "buy Hynix stock" campaign he participated in during his tenure as Gyeonggi Province governor.

Online discussions have highlighted that Kim, who ran for president in the last election, disclosed his ownership of 30 SK Hynix shares in his asset declaration. His wife also holds 10 shares, and these were reportedly the only stock holdings they declared. The shares are believed to have been purchased on February 12, 2007, when Kim was the governor of Gyeonggi Province.

At the time of purchase, Kim visited a Nonghyup branch at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office in Suwon to open an account and buy the 30 shares. The stock price then was around 30,000 won per share. Kim explained his motivation in media interviews at the time, stating he bought the shares "with the intention of encouraging and supporting Hynix" due to its falling stock price and uncertain future.

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with the intention of encouraging and supporting Hynix

The "buy Hynix stock" movement also involved other officials, with the city of Icheon encouraging each public official to buy about 10 shares. This campaign was a protest against the government's opposition to Hynix's factory expansion in Icheon. Kim continued to list "30 Hynix shares" in his assets even when he served in government roles, including Minister of Employment and Labor, under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.

SK Hynix's stock price has surged, largely driven by the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. As of Tuesday morning, the stock was trading at approximately 2.83 million won per share. If Kim has not sold his shares, his initial investment could have yielded a return close to 100 times its value. Kim Jae-won, a supreme council member of the People Power Party and former chief of staff for Kim during the presidential campaign, mentioned on a YouTube channel last July that Kim Moon-soo still held about 10 shares, suggesting he might not have sold them due to an inability to do so.

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Now, he still has about 10 shares. It seems he couldn't sell them because he doesn't know how.