South Korean shares surged on Monday, led by chipmakers, as optimism over sustained artificial intelligence investment and strong demand for AI-related semiconductors lifted investor sentiment. The South Korean won also strengthened sharply, reaching its highest level against the U.S. dollar in nearly two years.
The benchmark KOSPI gained 196.57 points, or 2.94%, to 6,883.78 as of 0123 GMT. The index had climbed as much as 3.5% earlier in the session, touching its highest intraday level since August 27.
