The benchmark KOSPI climbed 1.8% to around 4,090 on Monday, rebounding from significant losses in the previous week, tracking Friday’s gains on Wall Street. The rally on Wall Street was primarily driven by strong performances in major tech and AI-related stocks, encouraging fresh inflows into Korean stocks closely tied to the global AI supply chain. Tech heavyweights led the advance, with Samsung Electronics advancing 3.2% and SK hynix surging 4.9%. Other notable performers included LG Energy Solution (2.0%), Doosan Enerbility (2.5%), Hanwha Aerospace (1.6%), and SK Square (5.3%). Additional support came from fresh trade figures showing that South Korea’s exports increased 6.8% year-on-year in the first twenty days of December, setting a record for the period. Semiconductor shipments jumped 41.8%, reinforcing confidence in the sector’s earnings outlook and underpinning the broader equity rally.
