SK Hynix overtakes Samsung to become South Korea's most valuable firm and plans Nasdaq listing

South Korean semiconductor maker SK Hynix has displaced Samsung as the top‑valued company on the KOSPI for the first time in 25 years. The stock closed up 5.6%, lifting its market capitalisation to about 2,080.4 trillion won, just ahead of Samsung’s 2,066.7 trillion won. The surge is tied to strong demand for high‑bandwidth memory (HBM) used in AI chips, where SK Hynix now controls roughly 61% of the projected 2025 market.

The company also filed a registration statement to list American Depositary Receipts on Nasdaq, seeking to raise up to $29.4 billion by issuing 17.79 million ADRs. Trading is slated for early July. The move aims to broaden its investor base and give the firm a higher global valuation, while supporting expansion plans that include a new advanced‑packaging plant in Indiana and further capacity growth in its Yongin cluster.