# South Korean stocks surged to record highs on Monday. *semiconductor · news · 2026-06-01 · The Economic Times* ## Key points - South Korea's KOSPI index hit an all-time high, rising 4.59% to 8,865.49 points. - A 'sidecar' trading curb was triggered due to sharp gains in futures, briefly halting programme trading. - May exports grew at the fastest annual rate in over 40 years, led by record chip sales. - Samsung Electronics surged 9.70% amid expectations of AI partnerships with Nvidia's CEO visiting Korea. - Foreign investors sold 2 trillion won ($1.32 billion) in Korean shares even as the market rallied. Synopsis South Korean stocks surged to record highs on Monday. Strong chip exports fueled the rally, boosted by hopes of AI collaborations with Nvidia. Major tech firms like Samsung Electronics saw significant gains. The won weakened against the dollar. Bond yields remained steady. This performance highlights the robust growth in South Korea's trade-dependent economy. June 1 - Round-up of South Korean financial markets: South Korean shares rose sharply on Monday to record highs, driven by chip-led surge in exports and optimism over potential AI cooperation with Nvidia. S&P 500 Top Gainers Dell Technologies420.91(32.76%) NetApp174.29(22.39%) ServiceNow124.37(14.38%) IBM297.80(12.71%) S&P 500 Top Losers Coterra Energy32.56(-8.62%) Clorox90.02(-6.42%) ResMed190.57(-6.32%) Intel114.68(-5.14%) The benchmark KOSPI ‌climbed 389.34 ⁠points, ⁠or 4.59%, to 8,865.49, as of 0311 GMT, hitting its highest level on record. A "sidecar" trading curb was activated during the session after sharp gains in futures, briefly halting programme trading. South Korea's exports grew more than expected in May at the strongest annual rate in over four decades, as a global boom in AI ⁠investment drove ‌chip sales to a record, swelling optimism on the trade-reliant economy and its world-beating stock rally. Live Events Shares in ⁠South Korean tech firms rallied as expected meetings between Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Korean executives fuelled hopes of tie-ups in AI and robotics. Chipmaker Samsung Electronics rose 9.70%, while peer SK Hynix gained 2.01%. Hyundai Motor rose 5.05%, while e-commerce firm Naver surged 15.6%. Among other index heavyweights, battery maker LG Energy Solution slid 0.11%, while steelmaker POSCO Holdings shed ‌2.13%. Drugmaker Samsung BioLogics rose 1.61%. Of the total 923 traded issues, 195 shares advanced, while 713 declined. Foreigners were net sellers of ⁠shares worth 2 trillion won ($1.32 billion). The won was quoted at 1,516.3 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform, 0.76% lower than its previous close at 1,504.8. In money and debt markets, June futures on three-year treasury bonds lost 0.13 point to 103.20. The most liquid three-year Korean treasury bond yield was flat at 3.738%, while the benchmark 10-year yield was flat at 4.071%. ($1 = 1,516.2900 won) (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel) (What's moving Sensex and Nifty Track latest market news, stock tips, Budget 2025, Share Market on Budget 2025 and expert advice, on ETMarkets. Also, ETMarkets.com is now on Telegram. For fastest news alerts on financial markets, investment strategies and stocks alerts, subscribe to our Telegram feeds .) Subscribe to ET Prime and read the Economic Times ePaper Online.and Sensex Today. Top Trending Stocks: SBI Share Price, Axis Bank Share Price, HDFC Bank Share Price, Infosys Share Price, Wipro Share Price, NTPC Share Price ...moreless (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel) (What's moving Sensex and Nifty Track latest market news, stock tips, Budget 2025, Share Market on Budget 2025 and expert advice, on ETMarkets. Also, ETMarkets.com is now on Telegram. For fastest news alerts on financial markets, investment strategies and stocks alerts, subscribe to our Telegram feeds .) Subscribe to ET Prime and read the Economic Times ePaper Online.and Sensex Today. Top Trending Stocks: SBI Share Price, Axis Bank Share Price, HDFC Bank Share Price, Infosys Share Price, Wipro Share Price, NTPC Share Price ...moreless Different eras, but current rupee slide has elements of 1991 crisis Down 30% in 1 year, are AI-hit Infy, TCS still value stocks? Wafers to war: Vinay Dube on how Iran crisis is hitting Akasa Stock-linked pay for UGRO promoter raises governance concerns An unusual skill shortage that’s stalling govt’s PNG push Stock Radar: AIA Engineering hits fresh 52-week high in May post breakout; time to buy? 1 2 3 **Companies:** Samsung Electronics, Nvidia, SK Hynix, Hyundai Motor, Naver, LG Energy Solution, POSCO Holdings, Samsung BioLogics **Countries:** South Korea, United States [Read the full story on The Economic Times](https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/us-stocks/news/south-korean-shares-hit-record-high-on-export-surge-nvidia-optimism/articleshow/131433438.cms) --- Canonical: https://newsio.io/n/67eb691c-21f3-4b4b-bf96-1daea4587925/south-korean-stocks-surged-to-record-highs-on-monday-strong-chip-exports-fueled Summarized by Newsio from The Economic Times. https://newsio.io/how-it-works