South Korean investors withdrew nearly $1 billion in August from 2x leveraged exchange-traded funds linked to Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, capping a rapid boom-and-bust after the products launched at the end of May 2026. Retail buyers had poured roughly 14 trillion won, or about $9.7 billion, into the funds within about two months, and combined assets under management swelled to approximately $28 billion. The KODEX SK Hynix Single Stock Leverage ETF fell more than 80% from its June 23 peak, while its Samsung equivalent dropped about 75% from a June 3 high; all 16 single-stock leveraged and inverse 2X products later closed below their 20,000-won listing reference price on Aug. 21, with an average loss of 46.0% from listing. South Korea’s finance minister publicly apologized in late July for insufficient safeguards. Regulators tripled the minimum cash requirement to 30 million won, halted new product listings, restricted retail access and required simulated trading for new investors, sending daily turnover down more than 90% from peaks near 12.45 trillion won and contributing to a broader contraction in the country’s ETF market as cumulative losses reached into the trillions of won.