In early trading on the 18th, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix regained "200,000 Electronics" and "1 million Hynix" for the first time in 12 sessions.

On the morning of the 18th, KOSPI and Samsung Electronics share prices are displayed in the dealing room of Hana Bank in Jung District, Seoul. KOSPI is trading at 5,768.57, up 128.09 points (2.27%) from the previous session. Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics, which holds its shareholders' meeting today, surges more than 4% early in the session to reclaim 200,000 won. /Courtesy of Yonhap News Agency

As of 9:17 a.m. that day, Samsung Electronics shares were trading at 202,250 won, up 4.31% (8,350 won) from the previous day. Samsung Electronics preferred shares were also at 145,100 won, up 2.91% (4,100 won) from the previous day.

SK hynix was at 1,005,000 won, up 35,000 won (3.61%).

The KOSPI index was showing a gain of more than 2% that day. It appears to have been influenced by the New York stock market closing higher the previous day. As news came that oil tankers were gradually passing through the Strait of Hormuz, which had been blocked by the U.S.-Iran war, concerns about inflation eased.

Positive outlooks also continued in the securities industry. KB Securities said the supply shortage of memory semiconductors is likely to continue through 2028.

Kim Dong-Won, head of research at KB Securities, said, "Given demand growth and wafer production capacity, the tight supply-demand environment for memory semiconductors is highly likely to persist through 2028," and noted, "The memory demand fulfillment rate of major customers still remains at around 60%, so securing volume is taking precedence over price."

At the same time, the outlook for SK hynix's operating profit this year was 177 trillion won, a 275% surge from a year earlier.

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