South Korea's Kospi Nearly Doubles as 105.22 Million Trading Accounts Chase AI Chip Boom
Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · Jun 10
South Korea's Kospi Nearly Doubles as 105.22 Million Trading Accounts Chase AI Chip Boom
3 articles · Updated · Al Jazeera English · Jun 10
Summary
105.22 million active trading accounts were recorded in May, up 6.93 million since end-2025, as the Kospi nearly doubled over six months to become the world's best-performing major index.
AI-driven memory-chip shortages powered the rally, delivering record profits to Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix and pushing both companies above $1 trillion in market value.
14.5 million South Koreans owned stocks by end-2025, up from about 6 million in 2019, as President Lee Jae-myung's shareholder-rights reforms helped draw more retail money into equities.
2.14 billion won is the average price of an 84-square-metre Seoul apartment, a backdrop to Lee's push to shift household wealth from property into productive companies.
9% was Monday's Kospi drop after a 12.06% plunge in March, underscoring volatility and the risk that US tech groups could curb chip spending and puncture the rally.
Is South Korea’s historic stock rally a tech boom or the world’s biggest AI-fueled bubble?
The world’s AI ambitions rely on two Korean firms. How fragile is this critical supply chain?
South Korea’s Kospi Leads Global Markets with 78% Gain in 2026 Amid AI Semiconductor Frenzy and Volatility
Overview
South Korea's Kospi index has surged dramatically in 2025 and 2026, driven by the global boom in artificial intelligence infrastructure and soaring demand for high-performance computing. This rally is supported by robust export growth, with forecasts predicting a 50% increase in exports for 2026, which justifies the Kospi's upward momentum and raises expectations for national economic growth above 2.6%. Major tech companies like Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have seen record profits and valuations, further fueling the market. Together, these factors have established South Korea as a leader in the AI era, despite recent market volatility.