Korean Stocks Make Run at Doubling on Margin Trading Fever Household debt in South Korea stands at 100% of GDP as Koreans borrow like mad to buy stocks in a red-hot market where short selling is banned. Korea's record-setting run continues. Stocks in Seoul are at an all-time high, with the Kospi 200 index up 0.8% in early afternoon trade on Friday. Just as South Korea is facing its fourth wave of the coronavirus, this is the second wave of the stock market rally. It has risen 23.4% since the start of November, a second leg up after the initial recovery from lows in March.