South Korea’s GDP growth beats forecasts amid AI boom

South Korea's economy grew faster than economists had forecast, with the expansion attributed to strength in artificial intelligence-related activity. The beat matters for markets because Korea is a major exporter of semiconductors and memory chips, so stronger output tied to AI demand tends to lift export earnings, corporate investment and the won through a terms-of-trade and capital-inflow channel. The most exposed assets are Korean equities, particularly chipmakers and the broader KOSPI index, along with the won, which can appreciate when foreign investors buy local shares to capture the upturn. A stronger growth profile also reduces pressure on the Bank of Korea to cut rates quickly, which affects short-dated government bond yields and the rate differential with the US. Traders will watch the next Bank of Korea policy meeting and the monthly export data from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, particularly semiconductor shipment values, for confirmation that the GDP strength is translating into sustained external demand.

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