South Korea’s Samyang Foods saw its shares surpass the 1 million won ($714) mark during intraday trading on Monday, making it one of the few so-called “emperor stocks” on the domestic market.

The stock climbed 0.81 percent to 1,001,000 won shortly after the market opened before retreating slightly to 988,000 won as of 9:05 a.m., briefly hitting the 1,004,000-won mark during pre-market trading on Nextrade. Samyang Foods now joins Samsung Biologics as one of only two stocks trading above 1 million won in the Korean market.

The shares have nearly doubled from the 519,000-won mark it hit in late October 2024, driven by soaring sales of its signature hot chicken-flavored ramen product, globally known as “Buldak.” The company posted record earnings in 2024, with operating profit skyrocketing 133 percent year-over-year to 344.2 billion won, while revenue jumped 45 percent to 1.73 trillion won, of which 1.33 trillion won came from overseas sales.

Meanwhile, newly listed ROKIT Healthcare saw its shares surge nearly 70 percent on its Kosdaq debut. The biotech firm’s stock was trading at 18,600 won as of 9:39 a.m., up 69.09 percent from its IPO price of 11,000 won. Specializing in AI-based personalized organ regeneration, Rokit Healthcare offers a tailored treatment for diabetic foot ulcers. Its technology automatically models damaged tissue using artificial intelligence and produces customized regenerative patches via 3D printing to assist with skin recovery.

In another market news, stocks linked to Kim Moon-soo rallied sharply after he was confirmed as the presidential candidate for the People Power Party. Pyung Hwa Holdings’ shares hit the upper trading limit with a 30 percent gain to 11,570 won, while other Kim-affiliated stocks such as Pyung Hwa Industrial and Daeyoung Packaging rose 29.99 percent and 28.37 percent respectively. Conversely, stocks associated with Han Duck-soo, who failed to secure the nomination, plummeted. Iljeong Industrial shares dropped 29.98 percent to their daily floor of 15,650 won, while Kosdaq-listed i-Scream Edu and its parent SIGONGtech each saw their stocks fall by 30 percent.

Samyang Foods shares closed at 946,000 won and ROKIT Healthcare shares closed at 14,750 won, while Pyung Hwa Holdings shares closed at 11,570 won and Iljeong Industrial shares closed at 15,650 won.

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