The KOSPI index rose 4.53% to 5,717.30 on Tuesday morning, triggering a five-minute pause in program buying by the Korea Exchange. This marks the second time in six days that the exchange has implemented a buy-side sidecar, which was activated at 10:13 a.m. The surge follows a rebound in US artificial intelligence and semiconductor stocks, with the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index gaining 2.82%.
Memory chip manufacturers, which account for approximately half of the KOSPI index, drove the market growth. By 10:35 a.m., SK Hynix shares increased by 7.14% to ₩1.366 million, while Samsung Electronics rose 4.93% to ₩223,500. These gains outperformed other Asian markets, including the Nikkei 225 and TAIEX, which saw more modest growth during the same session.
Market performance remains tied to upcoming earnings reports from SK Hynix on October 28 and Samsung Electronics on October 29. Goldman Sachs recently lowered its KOSPI target from 12,000 to 9,000, citing concerns over potential declines in 2027 sector earnings. Retail investors, who have net purchases with an estimated average entry near 6,550, remain sensitive to these upcoming corporate disclosures.
