SK Hynix prices saw a massive resurgence in Seoul on Friday, erasing a portion of recent sharp losses. The turnaround was triggered by a combination of a global chip sector rally and an unprecedented personal investment by the group’s top executive.
At 11:22 a.m. (Bangkok Time), the semiconductor giant’s valuation climbed more than 24%, while its primary shareholder, SK Square, reached the daily trading limit. This recovery followed a volatile stretch in which the firm saw its market capitalization shrink by roughly KRW 1,000 trillion won as investors grew wary of a potential peak in the artificial intelligence sector.
The domestic rebound mirrored a significant overnight surge in U.S. technology stocks, where positive earnings and expanded AI capital expenditure plans from firms like Microsoft and Amazon propelled the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index higher.
Central to the local sentiment shift was SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won’s decision to personally acquire 3,620 common shares of the memory manufacturer. Representing his first direct purchase since SK Group’s 2012 acquisition of the business, the transaction was valued at approximately KRW 4.8 billion based on recent closing prices.
To ensure an immediate market response, the chairman capped his investment just below the KRW 5 billion threshold. This specific valuation allowed him to navigate around South Korean financial regulations that mandate a 30-day advance disclosure for larger insider trades, enabling him to act swiftly as share prices dipped toward KRW 1.32 million from their June highs of nearly KRW 3 million.
Market analysts view the chairman’s move as a formal validation of the company’s future worth, aimed at stabilizing a market rattled by “AI bubble” narratives. Chey has recently urged shareholders to maintain their positions, characterizing the current downturn as a disconnect from the industry’s actual corporate value.
Looking ahead, corporate leadership anticipates a widening gap between memory availability and the surging needs of AI infrastructure. Chairman Chey has signaled that next year’s supply constraints could be more severe than current levels, with demand potentially growing by up to 60% while production expansion remains restricted.
