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Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, and other South Korean technology stocks rallied on Monday as investors focused on expected meetings between NVIDIA Chief Executive Jensen Huang and Korean business leaders.
The move came as South Korea’s semiconductor exports reached a May record, driven by strong demand for artificial intelligence chips and related components.
Samsung Electronics shares jumped more than 10% during the session and closed at a record high, according to market data. The rally pushed the market value of Samsung’s common shares above 2,000 trillion won for the first time, placing renewed attention on the company’s role in the AI chip supply chain.
Investors watched reports that Huang plans to visit South Korea later this week. He is expected to meet senior executives from major Korean companies, including LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo. NVIDIA also plans to hold a ‘Korean Partner Night’ event on the sidelines of the COMPUTEX trade show in Taipei, with executives from Samsung, SK Hynix, and other firms expected to attend.
“Jensen’s visit to Korea has a major implication. NVIDIA needs Korea,” Jeff Kim, an analyst at KB Securities, said. The remark reflected market expectations for closer cooperation between NVIDIA and Korean firms, although the scope of any new agreements remains unclear.
Samsung also gained after saying it had started shipping samples of its latest high-bandwidth memory chip to customers. High-bandwidth memory, or HBM, plays a key role in AI data centers. Samsung’s customers include major AI companies such as NVIDIA.
LG Electronics rose by its daily limit for a second straight session, reaching an all-time high. The company, known for home appliances and televisions, has been expanding into robotics, an area investors closely link with NVIDIA’s AI hardware and software ecosystem.
Other LG Group shares also advanced. LG Innotek gained more than 10%, while LG Corp. rose more than 20%. The broad rally showed that investors were not focused only on chipmakers. Instead, they also bought companies tied to AI devices, robotics, components, and future automation demand.
Meanwhile, internet firm Naver rose sharply as investors watched reports that its top executives are scheduled to meet Huang on Friday. The expected meeting added to market interest in possible AI partnerships across South Korea’s technology sector.
NVIDIA said last year that it would supply more than 260,000 advanced AI chips to South Korea’s government and several major companies. Those companies include Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor Group. This earlier plan remains a key reference point for investors tracking NVIDIA’s role in Korea’s AI expansion.
South Korea’s Kospi index extended its record-setting run on June 1, the first trading day of the month. The benchmark rose more than 4% during the session and climbed as high as 8,874.16, raising market expectations for a possible move toward 9,000.
A sharp rise in Kospi 200 futures triggered a buy-side sidecar, which halted the validity of program buy orders for five minutes. The exchange measure came after the futures index rose more than 5% from the previous close.
Retail and institutional investors supported the broader market. Retail investors bought a net 71 billion won of shares, while institutions bought a net 2.4477 trillion won. However, foreign investors sold a net 2.317 trillion won.
South Korea’s semiconductor exports also supported sentiment. Government data showed chip exports climbed to a May record as AI-related demand lifted shipments. The strength helped South Korea’s total exports post their biggest rise in more than four decades.
However, some company-specific moves were mixed. Hanwha Aerospace turned lower during intraday trading after reports of an explosion at its Daejeon plant in Oesam-dong, Yuseong-gu. Shares fell more than 2% as investors assessed the news.
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