1. Semiconductors

SK Hynix has narrowed the gap with Samsung Electronics to striking distance, with its market capitalisation reaching 95% of its rival's — and briefly overtaking it at one point. Together, the two chipmakers now account for more than 56% of the total weighting of semiconductor stocks on the KOSPI, South Korea's main stock exchange.

Leading brokerages have raised their price targets in unison: SK Hynix to 4.3m won, the highest target ever set by a domestic analyst, and Samsung Electronics to 585,000 won. Retail investors have also piled in, net-buying 13 trillion won (roughly $9.4bn) worth of semiconductor exchange-traded funds over the past month, wagering on a sustained rally.

Meanwhile, SK Hynix is reported to be pursuing a listing of American Depositary Receipts on the Nasdaq. Proceeds are expected to be directed towards its planned chip cluster in Yongin, south of Seoul, and the procurement of EUV (extreme ultraviolet) lithography equipment.

2. Substrates

Analysts at several brokerages expect both Samsung Electro-Mechanics and LG Innotek to break through the 1 trillion won operating-profit threshold this year for the first time. Rising demand for AI accelerator chips and high-bandwidth memory (HBM) packaging is cited as the principal driver, boosting sales of FC-BGA (flip-chip ball grid array) substrates — the high-end circuit boards that underpin advanced chip packaging.

3. Renewable Energy

Shares in solar, wind, and hydrogen companies surged across the board on optimism over energy security. Yet the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment sounded a note of caution, warning that peak electricity demand this summer could reach as high as 98.8 gigawatts. Should heatwaves coincide with typhoons, solar generation could actually fall at precisely the moment the grid is under greatest strain, officials warned.

4. K-pop

THEBLACKLABEL, a label under YG Entertainment, launched a five-member mixed-gender act called ALLDAY PROJECT. The group's debut single went straight to number one on Melon's Top 100 chart — South Korea's dominant music-streaming platform — and topped charts internationally.

5. Retail

The three pillars of Korean department-store retailing — Lotte, Shinsegae and Hyundai — kicked off their simultaneous summer sales on 26 June, running through to 12 July. Lotte is offering discounts of up to 40% (60% on selected bedding), while Shinsegae is advertising reductions of up to 50%. More than 400 brands are participating across the three groups as retailers compete to capture summer consumer spending.