#korea

NAVER plans to expand GAK Sejong to 55MW and eventually toward gigawatt-scale AI factory capacity. NVIDIA’s post frames DSX as the stack for sovereign AI, HyperCLOVA X, and agentic services.

LG Energy Solution (373220.KS) traded as much as 16% higher after announcing a 6GWh U.S. battery energy storage agreement with DTE Energy. The deal covers a 1.5GW project portfolio in Michigan and starts deliveries in 2026.

KOSDAQ surged 4.99% to 1,161.13 on May 22, triggering a program-trading buying sidecar for the second consecutive session just 33 minutes after the open. The South Korean government's National Participation Growth Fund, channeling capital into advanced-tech KOSDAQ names, drove KRW 593.3 billion in foreign net buying on the day and pushed cumulative foreign inflows to approximately KRW 2.7 trillion over six consecutive sessions this month.

South Korea's KOSPI closed at 7,812.49 on May 21, rising 8.37% in a session steep enough to trigger a buy-side circuit breaker. Samsung Electronics' resolution of a months-long performance-bonus dispute and Nvidia's better-than-expected Q1 FY2027 results catalyzed the rally simultaneously, reversing five consecutive sessions of losses that began with a sell-circuit near the 8,000 level on May 15.

German food delivery group Delivery Hero is running a formal sale process for its South Korean unit Woowa Brothers (Baemin), with a valuation of up to ₩8 trillion ($6 billion). Baemin generates approximately 20% of DH's ~₩25 trillion annual revenue and ₩600 billion in annual operating profit, implying an EV/EBIT multiple of roughly 13x. Naver (035420.KS), previously considered the frontrunner, has signaled it will not participate; Uber, Alibaba, and DoorDash have been approached but no binding bids have been made.

Margin lending in Korean equity markets reached a record KRW 36.47 trillion as of May 15, up 33.66% from year-end 2025, as retail investors borrowed heavily to chase the KOSPI's approximately 70% year-to-date gain. Short-selling balances simultaneously surged 67.18% to KRW 20.58 trillion, near an all-time peak, prompting securities firms to warn of potential cascading forced-liquidation events.

The Korean won fell through the critical 1,500 per dollar level on May 15, reaching 1,500.2 at 2:13 PM KST — the first breach since April 7. Japan's 10-year JGB yield surged to 2.72%, a 29-year high, triggering risk-off sentiment across Asia, while fading Federal Reserve rate-cut expectations and KRW 5 trillion-plus in foreign equity outflows compounded pressure on the Korean currency.

South Korea's KOSPI crossed 8,000 for the first time in history on May 15, peaking at 8,046.78 before a circuit breaker was triggered as KOSPI 200 futures fell more than 5%. The index closed at 7,493.18, down 6.12%, as foreign investors dumped a net KRW 5 trillion in a single session. Retail investors' seven-day, KRW 30-trillion buying streak could not offset the outflow, while KB Securities raised its KOSPI target from 7,500 to 10,500.

South Korea's KOSPI closed at a record 7,981.41 on May 14, its second consecutive all-time high, bringing the 8,000-point threshold within 0.24%. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix led the rally as Nvidia's H200 China export authorization spotlighted Korean HBM suppliers as direct beneficiaries; the National Pension Service added roughly ₩50 trillion (~$36 billion) in two weeks.

SK Innovation reported Q1 2026 consolidated operating profit of KRW 2.162 trillion, returning to profitability from losses in the prior comparable period, driven by recovery across its EV battery (SK On), lubricants, and chemicals businesses. The turnaround reflects easing battery pricing pressure and elevated energy margins during the Iran conflict cycle.

South Korea's KOSPI closed at a record 7,844.01 (+2.63%) on May 13, led by Hyundai Motor (005380.KS) surging 9.91% to KRW 710,000 on robotics revaluation, with Hyundai Mobis up 18.43%. SK Hynix (000660.KS) gained 7.68% to KRW 1,976,000 as AI server investment expectations revived following Jensen Huang's reported China trip. Domestic investors net-bought KRW 3.57 trillion, absorbing KRW 4 trillion in foreign selling.

South Korea's KOSPI closed at a record 7,822.24 on May 11, adding 324 points (+4.32%) as semiconductor stocks repriced after the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index surged 5.51% on May 8. SK Hynix cleared 190,000 KRW (+11%) and Samsung Electronics crossed 280,000 KRW (+6%), putting the 8,000 level within 2.2% reach.