SEOUL, Feb 25, 2026 (V7N) - South Korea’s benchmark Kospi index crossed 6,000 points for the first time on Wednesday, driven by strong gains in the nation’s world-leading semiconductor industry.

The milestone was reached in the opening minutes of trading, lifted by record profits from chip giants Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. Both firms have benefited from surging demand for high-performance memory chips powering artificial intelligence and global data centres.

A global frenzy to build AI infrastructure has sent orders for advanced, high-bandwidth memory soaring. South Korea has announced plans to triple spending on AI this year, aiming to join the United States and China as one of the world’s top three AI powers.

END/WD/RH