"Tried leveraged semiconductor stocks, watched 3.5 billion won shrink to 200 million won": Salaried investor in tears

"Invested 500 million won and grew it to 3.5 billion won by June"
Two market crashes... "Only 200 million won left just before liquidation"

A salaried worker who invested in domestic semiconductor stocks, including Samsung Electronics, reportedly made a substantial profit at one point but later lost most of it after repeated market crashes.

On October 17, a post by an online user identified as A, who said he had invested aggressively in semiconductor stocks, appeared on Blind, an anonymous online community for office workers. A said, "I invested 500 million won in memory stocks last December and grew it to 3.5 billion won by June. I considered selling everything and taking a two-year break from trading, but since I work in the industry, I judged that semiconductor stocks were certain to rise further," he began.

A post by stock investor A and screenshots verifying his returns. Screenshot from Blind.

He said he invested in a leveraged product tied to SK hynix in May. "Until then, I had held only spot positions, but I was blinded by the thought that I was falling behind my colleagues because of the company's performance bonuses. I got into leveraged investments, and as a result, my profit—which would have peaked at 2 billion won—rose to 3.5 billion won," A explained.

However, memory-related stocks plunged repeatedly from July onward. A said he closed out his investments when they were worth about 750 million won, then, driven by a desire to recoup his initial investment, returned to leveraged trading and suffered another crash early this month. "I sold everything just before being liquidated, and now I have 200 million won left," he lamented.

He added, "I withdrew some money along the way and bought a property presale right. Since then, property prices in southern Gyeonggi Province have surged, adding about 300 million won to its value, and my assets are up by about 400 million won compared with December. Even so, the rosy future I had envisioned for a while has all disappeared. I wonder what I can do with 200 million won in this uncertain market."

He continued, "I always dreamed of achieving financial freedom through stocks and raising my wife and children without them wanting for anything, but I think this is as far as I can go. I don't think I'll be able to invest aggressively anymore. What I did this time was gambling."

Online users who read A's story responded in various ways, including, "You must have been going through a really hard time," "This feels all too familiar," "I also missed the right time to sell, so all I can do now is cry," and "Everyone is the same when greed keeps them from taking profits."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.