SK Hynix shares jumped after the company unveiled a record 40 trillion-won ($28.9 billion) share buyback and full retirement program and raised its 2025–2027 shareholder-return target to more than 50% of cumulative free cash flow, from a prior ceiling of up to 50%. On Aug. 20 the stock closed at 1.691 million won, up 12.73%, as foreign investors were net buyers of 539.3 billion won. Brokerages and Barclays framed the plan as a signal of earnings durability and cash-generation strength that could ease undervaluation concerns without cutting capital spending. The buyback, running Aug. 21 through Nov. 19, is the largest treasury-share retirement announced by a listed South Korean company and could retire about 3.6% of shares and lift EPS by roughly 3.8%. Separately, SK Hynix has reported a 76% operating margin in Q2 2026 with about 58% of the global HBM market. Attention is shifting to Samsung Electronics, which industry officials say may announce about 150 trillion won ($108.4 billion) in shareholder returns, including a special dividend of at least 100 trillion won ($72.3 billion), a step analysts say could support a broader rerating of Korea’s main market.