Seoul stocks saw an increase on Friday morning as investors took advantage of discounted semiconductor shares after a recent drop. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose by 2.11 percent to 7,809.61 after an initial 1.2 percent gain. This rise followed a significant 7.89 percent decline in the previous session, mainly due to heavy selling of Samsung Electronics and SK hynix.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average hit a record high, rising over 1 percent, while the Nasdaq fell by 0.8 percent, particularly affected by semiconductor stock sell-offs. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index also dropped by 5.4 percent for the second consecutive session. Investors showed interest in semiconductor shares after news of AI startup Anthropic discussing a custom AI chip development with Samsung Electronics.
Major tech companies like Samsung Electronics and SK hynix experienced gains of 6.12 percent and 3.02 percent, respectively. However, AI investment firm SK Square saw a slight decrease of 0.79 percent, while LG Energy Solution, a battery maker, rose by 0.28 percent. The Korean won was trading at 1,539.15 won per U.S. dollar, up 16.65 won from the previous session at 11:20 a.m.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) pledges to South Korea increased by 9.1 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2026, reaching US$14.28 billion. This growth was attributed to rising global confidence in the country’s advanced industries. Actual investments received by the country also surged by 42.6 percent to $10.73 billion during the same period.
