Number of KOSDAQ-listed Firms Totals 1,399

A total of 108 companies were or are planned to be listed on the KOSDAQ market this year, boosting the number of KOSDAQ-listed companies to 1,399.

Korea Exchange announced on Dec. 22 that a total of 108 companies were or are planned to be listed on the KOSDAQ market this year and the number of KOSDAQ-listed companies will be 1,399 at the end of this year. The number of new entries was 122 in 2015, 82 in 2016, 99 in 2017, and 101 in 2018.

The 108 companies are divided into 78 general companies and 30 special purpose acquisition companies. The former group includes 22 using technology-based special listing, which started in 2005. The 22 consist of 14 biotech companies and eight non-biotech companies.

Listing methods have been diversified to include lead manager recommendation, future profit-based listing and business model-based listing as well as technology assessment. This year, two companies went public by using the business model-based listing, which allows listing for non-profit making companies whose business models meet certain evaluation criteria.

Also, five companies went public by being recommended by lead managers and two used the future profit-based listing with which listing is possible based on market capitalization and growth estimation. In the meantime, 12 companies moved from KONEX to KOSDAQ this year as in the previous year.

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