From Delisting Danger to a 25% Surge — All in One Day

So here's a story that genuinely warms the heart. Monami, the South Korean stationery company that has been putting ballpoint pens in Korean hands for over six decades, found itself on the brink of being delisted from the stock market. And then the internet showed up. In one remarkable trading day, Monami's stock price surged 25.66%, and the company's CEO took to the company website to personally thank the public — in handwriting.

What's really interesting is how this all came about. The Korea Exchange, which is the body that oversees South Korea's stock markets, had announced plans to tighten the minimum market capitalization requirements for companies listed on the KOSPI — that's South Korea's main stock exchange, roughly equivalent to the NYSE or the London Stock Exchange. Under the updated rules, companies need to maintain a market cap of at least 30 billion Korean won (roughly 22 million USD) to stay listed. Monami's market cap had slipped to just 24.8 billion won, putting the beloved brand dangerously close to the exit door.

The Internet Said: Not on Our Watch

Word spread fast on Korean social media. On platforms like Threads, users began rallying around the brand with posts like "I bought Monami stock today to give the people's ballpoint pen company a little strength" and "Made in Korea — we protect this absolutely." It was a grassroots retail investor movement driven not by financial strategy, but by genuine affection for a brand that generations of Koreans associate with school, work, and everyday life.

And it worked. Within a single trading session, Monami's market cap jumped to approximately 40.5 billion won — well clear of the delisting threshold. A crisis that had been quietly building for weeks was reversed in a matter of hours.

A Handwritten Thank-You from the CEO

Monami's response was as analog as their flagship product. The company posted a handwritten letter from CEO Song Jae-hwa directly on the Monami homepage as a pop-up notice. The message struck a deeply personal tone, a fitting choice for a brand whose identity is so tied to the act of writing by hand.

"Watching the wave of support for Monami spreading online, I feel both deeply moved and a profound sense of responsibility. Your belief in and encouragement of Monami, even as we faced the difficult possibility of delisting, has become a force greater than anything we could exchange for."

CEO Song also reflected on the brand's history, writing that the public's support proved that "the 60-plus years Monami has walked were not in vain." He pledged to repay that trust with better products and genuine quality, closing with a promise to "stand firmly by your side going forward."

Why Monami Matters in Korea

For global readers who might not be familiar with the brand, a little context goes a long way here. Monami's 153 ballpoint pen — named after its original price of 15 won and a production run of 3 units — is considered a cultural institution in South Korea. It has been in continuous production since 1963 and is one of the most recognizable consumer products in the country. Think of it as the Korean equivalent of the Bic Cristal in Europe or the Dixon Ticonderoga pencil in the United States. It is cheap, reliable, and everywhere — and that ubiquity has made it genuinely beloved.

The fact that everyday Koreans mobilized to buy shares not for profit, but to protect a piece of national heritage, says a lot about how the brand is perceived. This wasn't a meme stock frenzy driven by hype. It was closer to a community showing up for a local institution.

A Good Weekend for Korean Sports, Too

Shifting gears — it was also a big weekend for Korean baseball. The Korea Baseball Organization, or KBO, held its annual All-Star Game on Saturday at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, and it turned into quite the send-off for one of the sport's most storied venues.

Team Nanum dominated Team Dream 10-2 in front of a sellout crowd of 23,750 fans. But what made this particular All-Star Game especially meaningful was the setting. Jamsil Baseball Stadium, which has hosted KBO games since the league's very first season in 1982, is being torn down after this season. A new domed ballpark is slated to open on the same site in 2032. So yes — this was the final All-Star Game at Jamsil, and fans knew it.

Heo In-seo Steals the Show on His Birthday

The MVP of the night was Hanwha Eagles catcher Heo In-seo, who went 4-for-4 with an RBI — and did it all on his 23rd birthday. He was also the first Hanwha Eagles catcher to start an All-Star Game in 36 years, which makes the performance even more of a milestone. Heo collected 13 of 26 media votes for MVP, a decisive win in the ballot.

Team Nanum, which featured players from the LG Twins, Kia Tigers, NC Dinos, Kiwoom Heroes, and Hanwha Eagles, dominated from start to finish. After falling behind 1-0 in the third inning, Nanum took the lead in the fourth and never looked back. A massive five-run sixth inning — powered heavily by Eagles players including Heo In-seo, Lee Do-yun, and Kang Baek-ho — essentially sealed the deal at 7-1. The lead grew to 10-1 by the eighth inning, with contributions from Han Jun-su, Moon Hyun-bin, and Gu Bon-hyeok.

Costumes, Chaos, and a Mona Lisa in the Outfield

One thing the KBO All-Star Game has become known for in recent years is its embrace of pure entertainment. Players take the field in elaborate costumes — this year's highlights included LG Twins first baseman Austin Dean dressed as a cowboy, Hanwha Eagles outfielder Moon Hyun-bin channeling the Mona Lisa, and Lotte Giants outfielder Hwang Seong-bin showing up in a puppy costume. It is the kind of looseness that makes the mid-season showcase genuinely fun to watch, and the packed stadium at Jamsil seemed to love every moment of it.

President Lee Returns from a Busy Week Abroad

Rounding out the weekend's news, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung touched down in Seoul on Saturday after a packed overseas schedule. He attended the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey — his first appearance at the annual gathering since taking office in June of last year — and then made a state visit to Mongolia.

On the NATO front, Lee's attendance helped kick off negotiations on a South Korea-NATO procurement framework agreement. The goal is to move the relationship beyond straightforward arms exports into joint defense production and development, which represents a meaningful step in deepening that partnership.

The Mongolia leg of the trip was historic in its own right — it was the first state visit by a South Korean president to the country in 15 years. President Lee met with Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, and the two leaders agreed to expand cooperation in supply chains, particularly around critical minerals, alongside broader economic and cultural ties. They also jointly declared the beginning of what they called a "golden era" in South Korea-Mongolia relations.

Back home, Lee is expected to shift focus to his domestic agenda, including what his administration calls the "three mega projects" — a set of major investments targeting semiconductor production clusters and other advanced industrial facilities. Year two of his five-year term is underway, and it sounds like there is no shortage of things on the to-do list.

This article is based on reports from Hankookilbo, Yonhap News, Yonhap News.