South Korean and Japanese equities ended the half-year higher, with AI memory-chip demand lifting Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, the Nikkei 225 and TOPIX.
South Korea’s KOSPI rose about 1% and Japan’s stock market gained about 0.9% on the final trading day of the first half. The move capped a strong H1 for Northeast Asian equities, led by chipmakers tied to AI memory-chip demand. In South Korea, the KOSPI was up about 100% in H1, with Samsung Electronics rising about 180% and SK Hynix climbing about 310%. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 gained about 40% over the half and the TOPIX advanced about 17%.