South Korean Stock Market Hits Record High as AI Optimism Drives Tech Sector The South Korean stock market surged to a new record on June 1, 2026, driven by strong performance in technology and artificial intelligence (AI) stocks. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed at 8,874.16, a 3.68% increase from the previous day, with the index briefly touching an intraday high of 8,874.16. The rally was supported by institutional and retail investors, who collectively accounted for 618.17 million shares traded, valued at approximately $46.1 billion. The market’s rapid rise prompted the Korea Exchange (KRX) to activate its "buy-side" circuit breaker mechanism at 11:30 a.m., temporarily halting trading for five minutes to prevent excessive volatility. Despite the surge, the number of declining shares outpaced rising shares, with 712 falling stocks versus 194 advancing ones. Institutional investors led the buying activity, purchasing 2.53 trillion won ($1.7 billion), while retail investors added 377.31 billion won ($258 million). Conversely, foreign investors sold 2.91 trillion won ($2.0 billion). The rally was fueled by optimism surrounding AI-driven demand for semiconductors, particularly in the wake of NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang’s visit to South Korea. During his trip, Huang announced plans for NVIDIA’s Vera CPU to integrate high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips from Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and Micron. Analysts noted that this collaboration has bolstered investor confidence in South Korea’s semiconductor industry. Samsung Electronics, the country’s largest tech firm, saw its shares rise 10.09% to a record 349,000 won. SK Hynix, its main competitor, also gained 1.29% to 1.36 million won. Hyundai Motor, a major automotive company, climbed 3.#south_korea #jensen_huang #sk_hynix #samsung_electronics #korea_exchange
