21.10.202601:46:57UTC+00South Korean Shares Rebound on Chip Rally

The benchmark KOSPI jumped nearly 4% to around 5,770 on Wednesday, rebounding from a six-month closing low as semiconductor stocks led a broad rally. Samsung Electronics and SK hynix advanced more than 5% and 6%, respectively.

Supporting sentiment, South Korea’s exports surged 105.4% year-on-year to $61.6 billion in the first 20 days of October, the highest level ever recorded for this period, driven by a 222.5% spike in semiconductor shipments.

Investors also awaited earnings reports from Meta and other major technology companies for further signals on AI-related spending and returns, amid ongoing concerns about the scale and sustainability of infrastructure investment.

Separately, Samsung Electronics was reported to have secured long-term supply contracts covering roughly 80% of its planned 2027 memory output, a development seen as pointing to robust medium-term demand despite recent market volatility.

Other notable gainers included SK Square (up 5.8%), SK Inc. (9.4%), LS Electric (5.2%), Doosan Corporation (6.5%), Samsung C&T (5.6%), and SK Innovation (2.2%).