Japan, South Korea Stocks Diverge at Close; KOSPI Gains Nearly 1%, Samsung Rises Almost 4%, SK Hynix Advances Over 2%

TradingKey - On August 21, Japanese and South Korean stock markets closed mixed. South Korea's KOSPI Index rose 0.88% to close at 6,912.94 points, while Japan's Nikkei 225 Index (JPN225) fell 0.30% to close at 66,016.36 points.

Source: TradingView

South Korean tech stocks performed strongly overall. As of the close, SK Hynix rose 2.31% to 1.73 million won (about $1,248), while Samsung Electronics climbed 3.87% to 281,500 won.

In the Japanese market, Kioxia rose 2.59% to 54,320 yen (about $342), while SoftBank Group fell 2.45% to 5,255 yen.

The semiconductor sector attracted market attention. According to reports, SK Hynix is evaluating the possibility of building a memory chip plant in Miyagi Prefecture in northeastern Japan. If the South Korean memory chip maker's plan to establish a large-scale production base in Japan materializes, it will further expand its overseas manufacturing network.

Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics' shareholder return plan also became a market focus. According to South Korean media citing sources, Samsung Electronics is expected to announce a new shareholder return plan on Friday, which could reach 110 trillion won (about $79 billion).