Multiple record highs have been refreshed this year, with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix rising approximately 180% and 310% respectively year-to-date.

Odaily reported that the first half of the year came to a close for the Japanese and South Korean stock markets. South Korea's KOSPI index closed up about 1% today, while Japan's Nikkei index closed up about 0.9%. Driven mainly by demand for AI memory chips, the South Korean stock market has accumulated a gain of approximately 100% in the first half of the year, repeatedly hitting new cyclical highs and once touching an all-time high of 9,385. The two major tech giants, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, have risen approximately 180% and 310% year-to-date, respectively. Fueled by multiple factors such as corporate reforms, AI, and the prosperity of the semiconductor industry chain, the Nikkei 225 index has accumulated a gain of about 40% this year, while the TOPIX index has risen about 17%. Tech stocks have been the primary driving force. Chip testing equipment manufacturer Advantest has risen about 65% this year, while chip-making equipment manufacturer Tokyo Electron has surged over 120%. (Jin Shi)