Seoul stocks rebound over 2% after Black Thursday as chip rout eases
Korean equities swung sharply, with the KOSPI rebounding more than 2% after a seven-day losing streak and a 'Black Thursday' selloff, while the KOSDAQ's surge triggered a buy-side sidecar. Samsung Electronics and SK hynix drew analyst pushback on an 'excessive' sell-off, and BTS set a Spotify first.
Markets & chips
Korean markets & the won
The session swung from a seven-day losing streak and a sharp Thursday drop to a broad rebound, with the KOSDAQ's move steep enough to trigger an exchange circuit measure.
Korean shares closed more than 2% higher as pressure on chip stocks eased and investors weighed Federal Reserve rate expectations.
The market opened higher, ending a seven-session run of declines.
The Korea Exchange triggered a buy-side sidecar as the KOSDAQ rose sharply.
The National Pension Service's losses grew as Korean stocks fell.
Korean chipmakers
Chip names were at the center of the market's swings, with analysts defending the memory outlook and Samsung picking up recognition for new products.
Analysts said the sell-off in Samsung Electronics and SK hynix was excessive, pointing to a still-strong memory outlook.
Three Samsung products, including the Galaxy S26 Ultra, were named to TIME's Best Inventions of 2026 list.
XCENA presented a CXL memory solution for SK hynix at the OCP Global Summit.
A survey ranked SK hynix as the company South Korean job seekers most want to join, ahead of Hyundai Motor.
Business of culture
HYBE
BTS became the first group to surpass 10 billion Spotify streams in a single year.
K-drama, film, webtoons & streaming
The Seoul Whistler Film Festival is screening works exploring injustice and resistance.