Key facts
- South Korea's stock market is now the world's sixth largest.
- It has overtaken India's stock market in size.
- Growth is attributed to strong performance of chip giants Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.
- These companies are central to the global artificial intelligence boom.
- Samsung paid large bonuses to chip workers, sparking resentment in other divisions.
The global rise of artificial intelligence has significantly boosted the performance of semiconductor companies. This surge in value has propelled the stock markets of countries heavily invested in this sector, leading to shifts in global market rankings. South Korea's stock market has become the world's sixth largest, surpassing India, driven by the strong performance of chip giants Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, which are central to the global artificial intelligence boom. Samsung recently averted a strike by paying massive bonuses to its chip workers, a move that has sparked resentment in other divisions and fueled a global debate about sharing AI windfalls.