[AI Issue Trend] KOSPI swings despite semiconductor 'record-breaking earnings'... Disaster and political issues highlighted amid Big Tech partnerships

SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics posted record earnings, raising expectations for the semiconductor sector.

Concerns over China’s memory competition and localization of equipment pressured chip stocks, but hopes for expanded Big Tech AI spending helped the KOSPI rebound.

Major attention also went to the Kumamoto earthquake in Japan, the first-instance ruling on Yoon Seok-yeol’s election-law case, and the US FOMC.

The week highlighted how semiconductor conditions and global AI investment are driving Korean stocks, while external shocks keep shaping market sentiment.