▲ A dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul on May 27, 2026 (Yonhap)

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Seoul shares sharply up late Wed. morning on AI-driven tech rally

SEOUL, May 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks traded sharply higher over the 8,400-point level late Wednesday morning, driven by renewed optimism for tech shares related to artificial intelligence (AI).

After starting 2.42 percent higher, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) extended gains to 356.24 points, or 4.43 percent, to 8,403.75 as of 11:20 a.m.

Overnight on Wall Street, AI-fueled optimism pushed up the S&P 500 and Nasdaq to hit record closing highs, offsetting concerns that U.S. strikes on Iran dampened prospects for peace in the Middle East.

The S&P 500 gained 0.61 percent, and the Nasdaq Composite rose 1.19 percent, while chipmaker Micron surged 19 percent to hit US$1 trillion in market value for the first time.

In Seoul, chip giants Samsung Electronics and SK hynix led the rally.

Samsung Electronics rose 6.52 percent and SK hynix shot up 12.13 percent to become the second South Korean company to top 1,500 trillion won (US$1 trillion) in market value.

Leading K-pop agency Hybe climbed 0.42 percent, and defense giant Hanwha Aerospace gained 0.88 percent.

However, most shares traded in negative territory.

Top carmaker Hyundai Motor lost 0.58 percent, and leading shipbuilder HD Heavy Industries fell 2.55 percent.

Major bank KB Financial Group declined 1.4 percent, and energy firm Doosan Enerbility dropped 2.13 percent.

The Korean won was trading at 1,503.55 won against the U.S. dollar at 11:20 a.m., up 0.75 won from the previous session.

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