The benchmark KOSPI surged 5.8 percent to close at 8,088.3.
The index added 440.3 points, recovering the bulk of Thursday's 7.9 percent plunge, as a report that Anthropic is in talks with Samsung Electronics to manufacture a custom AI chip reignited the semiconductor stock trade that has driven the market's record run this year, and a soft US jobs print eased pressure on the Federal Reserve. Tokyo followed Seoul higher while Shanghai edged up.
Institutions did the lifting. They net purchased 4.46 trillion won ($2.9 billion) worth of KOSPI shares, absorbing the net selling of 2.21 trillion won by foreign investors and 2.31 trillion won by individuals.
Samsung Electronics jumped 8.2 percent to 309,500 won ($203). The Information reported that Anthropic has begun early-stage work on its own AI chip and held talks with Samsung as a potential manufacturing partner, a deal that would hand Samsung's foundry business a marquee AI customer. Samsung declined to comment on the discussions. The InformationStocktwits
SK hynix climbed 10.9 percent to 2,425,000 won, and SK square, which holds a stake in the chipmaker, rose 4.2 percent to 1,589,000 won.
Sentiment also drew support from Washington. US job growth slowed sharply in June, prompting markets to dial back expectations for a near-term Fed rate hike, a shift traders read as relief for the rate-sensitive technology names that were dumped in Thursday's global AI selloff.
The tech-heavy KOSDAQ lagged the rally, inching up 0.2 percent to 868.4.
The won strengthened against the dollar, with the exchange rate falling 16.30 won to 1,526.20 won per dollar as of 3:36 p.m., according to Hana Bank.
Elsewhere in the region, Japan's Nikkei 225 gained 1.5 percent to 69,744.1, with memory chipmaker Kioxia surging 9.2 percent. China's Shanghai Composite was up 0.6 percent at 4,053.2 in late trade.
Even so, foreign investors sold into Friday's bounce, extending the exodus that made record net selling a defining feature of the first half. Until that money turns, the market's recoveries remain a domestic affair.
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