Asia
South Korean Shares Rebound on Chip Gains; Samsung Adds 10%, SK Hynix 1%
South Korean shares rebounded on Wednesday, owing to strong gains made by heavyweight semiconductor stocks, after following a technology stocks-led sell-off on record on Tuesday. Key market movers Samsung Electronics (KRX:005930) and SK Hynix (KRX:000660) added nearly 10% and 1%, respectively, at market close.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index, or Kospi, rose 3.3%, or 267.18 points, to close at 8,471.02. The Kosdaq also increased by 2%, or 17.79 points, to end at 909.31.In economic news, the number of foreign tourists that arrived in South Korea has exceeded 10 million as of the third week of June, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said in a Wednesday release.The number of foreign tourists visiting South Korea jumped 19.4% to 1.95 million in May from 1.63 million a year earlier. Total foreign arrivals in the country in the first five months of 2026 rose 21% to 8.72 million from 7.21 million in the same period last year, the ministry said.In the corporate front, the South Korean government is in discussions with chipmakers Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix over the next phase of large-scale semiconductor investments, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing presidential policy adviser Kim Yong-beom at a discussion panel.Kim said that AI-driven demand growth may require the two chipmakers to boost planned chip facility construction by more than 10 years to 2034-2035, while the government looks for space to build a second semiconductor cluster, the report said.In other news, CMES Robotics (KOSDAQ:475400) secured a supply contract for an electrode coater insulation thickness measuring instrument from LG Energy Solution Arizona, the company said in a Wednesday filing with the Korean Exchange.The contract, valued at 1.40 billion won, is expected to be valid till Aug. 31, 2028.Shares of CMES Robotics rose nearly 7% at market close.
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