South Korean shares surged on Friday, with the Kospi index rising nearly 18% driven by chip makers SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics. SK Hynix saw its shares jump almost 30%, while Samsung's shares were up by 28%, after earnings updates from Amazon and Microsoft boosted optimism over artificial intelligence investments. The rally also pushed markets in Japan and Taiwan higher, as investors became more confident in the tech sector. The Kospi index had previously been halted multiple times this year due to volatility, but remains over 50% higher than its value at the end of 2025 despite recent falls.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-21,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On Friday, South Korean shares surged nearly 18%, largely due to gains by chip makers *SK Hynix* and *Samsung Electronics*. This rebound came after a three-day rout that had wiped out hundreds of billions of dollars from the country's stock market. The improvement was driven in part by earnings updates from US tech giants Amazon and Microsoft, which boosted optimism about investments in artificial intelligence (AI). SK Hynix shares jumped almost 30%, while Samsung Electronics gained 28%. Regulators had also announced measures to curb the sell-off, which had deepened concerns over massive investments in AI by large technology firms. The increase helped push markets in *Japan* and *Taiwan* higher as well.
Written for “Korean Stock Market Recovery” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's framing implies a generally positive tone towards the market recovery and tech industry growth, using words like 'soared', 'boosted optimism', and 'surging'. The phrase 'helped boost optimism over the huge amounts of money being invested in artificial intelligence (AI)' may also indicate a neutral or slightly sympathetic view, as it presents AI investment as a positive driver of market growth.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score +0.35 for article 157 · logged 2026-07-31
- Published
Share prices jumped in South Korea on Friday, partly reversing a three-day rout that wiped hundreds of billions of dollars off the value of the country's stock market.
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that → publish → market
The benchmark Kospi index closed almost 18% higher, driven by chip makers SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics.
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index → close → makers
It came after earnings updates from US technology giants Amazon and Microsoft helped boost optimism over the huge amounts of money being invested in artificial intelligence (AI).
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updates → come → intelligence
South Korean regulators have also announced measures aimed at curbing this week's sell-off.
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regulators → announce → off
Surging chip stocks also helped push markets in Japan and Taiwan higher.
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stocks → surge → Japan
SK Hynix, which is a major supplier to leading AI chip firm Nvidia, saw its shares gain almost 30%, while Samsung was up by 28%.
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Samsung → lead → %
Both firms had seen their stock market value slump this week as a sell-off in AI-related stocks deepened.
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off → see → stocks
Investors had become concerned over the hundreds of billions of dollars being poured into in AI by big technology firms.
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Investors → become → firms
In recent months stock market trading has been particularly volatile in South Korea as it has attracted large numbers of retail investors.
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it → attract → investors
South Korea's tech-heavy Kospi has been halted multiple times this year under a stock market mechanism known as a circuit breaker, which is designed to calm panic selling.
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which → halt → selling
The index had more than doubled in value this year and despite a series of big falls since hitting a record high in mid-June it is still more than 50% higher than it was at the end of 2025.
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it → double → 2025
Shares of AI-related companies rallied after Amazon and Microsoft beat earnings expectations.
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Amazon → relate → expectations
On Thursday Amazon jumped by more than 9% in after-hours trading in New York on Thursday, while Microsoft gained more than 15%.
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Microsoft → jump → %
