South Korean shares rose sharply on Friday, partly recovering from a three-day technology-led sell-off that erased hundreds of billions of dollars from the country’s stock market. The rebound was led by major chipmakers SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics, as stronger results from Amazon and Microsoft renewed investor confidence in heavy artificial intelligence investment.

The Kospi index was nearly 17% higher in afternoon trading, while SK Hynix gained more than 17% and Samsung rose 23%. Regulators also announced measures to limit the week’s selling pressure; despite recent volatility and several circuit-breaker halts, the index remained about 50% above its level at the end of 2025.