MSCI chairman and CEO Henry Fernandez said on Friday MSCI needs to see Korea’s
regulatory reforms actually implemented before it will upgrade the market to
developed-market status, adding that all parties must work together to complete
the final stage. Upgrading from emerging to developed market is a key pledge of
South Korea’s Lee. Since taking office in June 2025, Lee’s government has rolled
out market and tax measures to support domestic equities. In July Korea opened
its FX market to allow 24‑hour trading of the won to bolster its case for an
upgrade. Korean regulators are also weighing steps to narrow the long-running
valuation discount versus peers, including broader English disclosure, pushing
firms to raise dividends and publicly flagging companies with very low P/B
ratios.
