A scene from the 2002 sitcom "Live Right" featuring Hynix's stock price has sparked online interest.
On May 17, various online communities and social media platforms shared a clip from the December 5, 2002, episode of the SBS sitcom.
The notable scene shows characters Park Young-kyu and Lee Eung-kyung checking stock prices on a computer screen, where Hynix's stock is listed at 460 won. The prices of other major stocks at the time, including Hyundai Motor at 35,900 won and LG Chem at 45,450 won, are also displayed.
At that time, Hynix was not the leading AI semiconductor company it is today. Following the Asian financial crisis, the company faced significant financial burdens, compounded by a semiconductor market downturn and liquidity crisis, leading to a restructuring under creditor management.
Hynix changed its name from Hyundai Electronics Industries to Hynix Semiconductor in March 2001 and entered a joint management procedure with creditor financial institutions in October of the same year due to liquidity issues. After undergoing restructuring and financial improvement, the company graduated from its workout program early in 2005.
During this period, existing shareholders suffered substantial losses. Hynix underwent a 21-for-1 stock consolidation in 2003, significantly reducing its capital and the number of shares issued.
As of May 15, SK Hynix's stock closed at 1,819,000 won, reaching a peak intraday price of 1,995,000 won. Comparing the two prices, 460 won and 1,819,000 won, shows an increase of approximately 3,954 times, equating to a return of about 395,000%.
However, this is a simple stock price comparison that does not account for capital changes such as the consolidation. Given the 21-for-1 consolidation in 2003, the actual investment return for those who held shares at that time would differ from this straightforward comparison.
Once a company concerned about its survival, Hynix has strengthened its memory semiconductor competitiveness since joining the SK Group. Recently, it has established itself as a leading semiconductor stock on the domestic market, driven by growing demand for AI servers and the expansion of the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) market. This transformation highlights the significant changes in the status of the South Korean semiconductor industry and SK Hynix over the past two decades.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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