South Korean stock market rises, chip manufacturers unaffected by US tariff threats.

On Thursday, the South Korean stock market rose, with shares of major chip manufacturers rising despite US President Donald Trump's tariff threats. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose by 18.68 points, or 0.58%, to 3216.82 points. Trump stated on Wednesday that the US will impose tariffs of around 100% on semiconductor chips imported from countries that do not produce or do not intend to produce in the US. South Korean senior trade official Yeo Han-koo said on Thursday that chip manufacturers Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix will not be affected by the US's 100% chip tariff, citing Trump's commitment that tariffs on Korean chip manufacturers will be imposed under the most favorable conditions. An official from the Bank of Korea stated, "Even if the US imposes tariffs, the semiconductor industry cycle is expected to remain strong." Previous data showed that South Korea's current account had a record surplus in June due to increased chip exports. Samsung Electronics' share price rose by 2.33%, benefiting from Apple's announcement that the Korean chip manufacturer will supply chips for Apple products, including the iPhone, from its factory in Texas. Its counterpart SK Hynix recovered from a morning drop of over 3% and saw its share price rise by 0.29%. Out of a total of 932 trading stocks, 395 rose and 478 fell. Foreign investors sold a net 25.9 billion Korean won in stocks.