In Seoul, the benchmark Kospi advanced 1.9 percent to close at 4,004.85, reclaiming the psychologically important 4,000 mark for the first time in three sessions. The tech-heavy Kosdaq added 2.4 percent, finishing at 891.94.
Foreign investors bought a net 560.7 billion won ($381 million) worth of shares, while institutions purchased 967.7 billion won. Retail investors, however, turned heavy sellers, offloading 1.51 trillion won. Analysts said renewed foreign buying — centered on semiconductor names — was the main catalyst behind the rebound.
The surge followed Nvidia Corp.’s record-breaking quarterly earnings, which helped dispel concerns of an overheating AI-driven rally. The U.S. chipmaker posted third-quarter revenue of $57 billion and earnings per share of $1.30, beating market estimates of $54.9 billion and $1.25, respectively. Revenue jumped 62 percent from a year earlier.
During the earnings call, CEO Jensen Huang underscored rising demand for memory and AI infrastructure, saying the company is preparing “a big year ahead” with memory partners — remarks that further fueled optimism for Korean chipmakers.
Shares of Samsung Electronics rose 4.3 percent to 100,600 won ($68.5), while SK hynix gained 1.6 percent to 571,000 won. Most large-cap stocks advanced: LG Energy Solution up 0.8 percent to 441,000 won; HD Hyundai Heavy Industries up 1.6 percent to 583,000 won; and Doosan Enerbility up 4.4 percent to 77,700 won.
Automakers lagged the broader rally, with Hyundai Motor slipping 0.8 percent to 262,000 won and Kia retreating 1 percent to 113,400 won.
AI infrastructure-related stocks surged across the board. Daewon Cable soared 18 percent to 3,940 won; LS ELECTRIC climbed 6.5 percent to 506,000 won; Gaon Cable rose 6 percent to 70,600 won; Taihan Electric Wire gained 4.8 percent to 24,100 won; and HD Hyundai Electric added 4.1 percent to 815,000 won.
Tourism and cosmetics shares also rallied amid growing expectations of a rebound in Chinese visitors, as travel tensions between China and Japan prompt widespread cancellations of trips to Japan and shift demand toward South Korea. Able C&C jumped 16.6 percent to 10,810 won; Lotte Tour Development rose 15 percent to 22,350 won; and resort operator Paradise gained 13.7 percent to 18,400 won. CJ surged 8.3 percent, TonyMoly climbed 7.2 percent, Jin Air rose 6.2 percent, and GKL added 5.9 percent.
Entertainment stocks joined the upswing. HYBE rose 3 percent to 296,000 won; JYP Entertainment added 1.8 percent to 67,800 won; SM Entertainment advanced 4.3 percent to 105,700 won; and YG Entertainment climbed 2.3 percent to 62,500 won.
Samsung Biologics remains temporarily suspended from trading through Nov. 21 due to its pending corporate split.
Elsewhere in Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped 2.6 percent to 49,794.33, lifted by the Nvidia halo. SoftBank rose 1.9 percent to 19,180 yen ($122); Toyota edged up 0.2 percent to 3,044 yen; and Sony gained 3 percent to 4,461 yen.
In China, the Shanghai Composite Index slipped 0.4 percent to 3,931.05.
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