South Korean Shares Bounce Back as Strong Exports Overcome Early Wall Street Slump

South Korean shares recovered from early losses to turn higher on Monday due to strong exports that encouraged dip-buying. ## Market Movement and Key Indices The benchmark KOSPI rose 19.49 points, or 0.34 percent, to reach 5,750.23 by 0157 GMT after dropping nearly 2 percent earlier in the day. The market initially opened lower by following Wall Street losses caused by worries over massive artificial intelligence spending. Out of 909 traded issues, 565 shares advanced and 299 declined. Foreign investors sold a net total of shares worth 344 billion won, which equals 257.98 million dollars. Meanwhile, the local won traded at 1,337.5 per dollar, marking a 0.24 percent drop from its previous close. The most liquid three-year Korean treasury bond yield went up by 2.9 basis points to 3.742 percent, and the 10-year yield increased by 3.9 basis points to 4.047 percent. ## Company Performances and Trade Data Individual company shares showed mixed results during the session. Chipmaker Samsung Electronics dropped 1.11 percent, while rival SK Hynix gained 0.92 percent. Battery maker LG Energy Solution fell 0.70 percent. Automaker Hyundai Motor rose 0.53 percent, but its sister company Kia Corp slipped 0.63 percent. Kiwoom Securities analyst Han Ji-young noted that the stock market sat in over-sold territory with solid fundamentals and improving earnings forecasts. South Korea experienced a massive surge as exports nearly doubled in October, marking the sharpest jump in over 50 years. This spike was driven by strong global demand for artificial intelligence investments that boosted shipments of local chips. A separate survey showed that factory activity grew at its slowest pace in eight months due to weaker output and demand. ## Political Action and Future Plans South Korean President Lee Jae Myung promised to make bold investments in artificial intelligence to lift the country's economic growth potential. He made this pledge during a parliamentary address while seeking approval for next year's budget spending plans. ## Context Strong export numbers can offset negative external trends like Wall Street downturns by boosting domestic investor confidence. Government spending pushes into growing sectors like artificial intelligence often aim to maintain long-term industrial competitiveness in global markets.