South Korea Proceeds With Plan To Permit Securities Class Actions

As previously posted in The 10b-5 Daily, the South Korean legislature is considering a proposal to permit investors to bring securities class actions. The JooAng Daily reports that the Legislation and Judiciary Committee�s review subcommittee approved the measure yesterday.
Quote of note: “[T]he proposed legislation only allows filing of such suit for financial fraud complaints: book-rigging, stock price manipulation or false disclosures and audits. At least 50 shareholders who collectively owns either 0.01 percent of a firm�s shares or own shares valued at 100 million won would be required for a suit to be filed. The court would have the right to investigate the qualifications of shareholders as plaintiffs. The court could also ask for basic information from financial authorities. If a court rejected the filing of a lawsuit, aggrieved shareholders would have the right to appeal the decision. ”