Before and after the 21st century, university clubs on stock investment were rapidly established. Reasons may vary, but the stock prices hitting an all-time high record, and students being more practical than the past seem to have influenced this emergence. Now university students are jumping into the real stock market, analyzing and investing in companies. They are striving to realize their ideal in investment: to be experts in the financial field. Despite their common goal, each club has its own unique investment culture and strategy.
Seoul National University Midas Investment Club (SMIC) was the first stock investment club to be established in 1999. SMIC members span its field; not only doing mere stock investment, but also analyzing the macroeconomics and capital markets. SMIC routine consists of three major activities: education, research, and fund. Through this process, they choose the best companies to put in the portfolio. Lee Dong-un (Seoul National University, 3), the president of the SMIC says that the SMIC members aim to be the best experts in the financial field such as analysts, strategists, traders, dealers, and fund managers in the long run.
Another investment club, Yonsei Investment Group (YIG) of Yonsei University, was founded in 2003. Park Jun-sung (Yonsei University, 4), the former president of the YIG, summarizes the main goal of the club by saying, "We want to verify the theories by applying them in the real capital market." He also marked a clear line between financial technology and stock investment, and stressed that the purpose of handling stocks is totally different between the two. With an annual price-earning ratio reaching 60 to 70 percent, YIG seems to thrive more and more.
More than Value Investment (MTVI) of Korea University was also established in 2003 along with YIG. As the name implies, it stresses the mind of "value investment." Shin Tae-young (Korea University, 4), the president of MTVI says that MTVI is at a turning point. In the past, the members invested big sums of money based on their professional know-how, which in 2004, the whole asset reaching four hundred million won. However, at that time, the club was closed to the outside and blocked the participation of students. Now, it has changed its direction by embracing more students to remain as a pure club.
Inside Ewha there are no stock investment clubs which are as well-known to the outside as the ones above. But there are clubs which hold academic conferences on macro economics like the Korean Commercial-economic Conference (KCC), which is a joint club activity of six universities: Ewha, Korea, Dongguk, Yonsei, Sookmyung, and Sungkyunkwan. "Marketing Strategy of Cass Beer" and "Blue Ocean Strategy" are some of the previous themes of the conference.
Professor Suh Jung-won (Business) says two factors may have influenced this new trend among university students. One is the change of social perception turning positively toward earning money. Another is long-term investment culture settling down in Korea. An example of long-term investment includes a regular savings plan, which allows access to stock market investment via a bank. Although Professor Suh has a positive view on investment, he warns students to avoid near-sighted investments, and advises students to analyze the company according to the stream of the times.