South Korea's KOSPI index surged 6.63% to 6012.44 points on Wednesday, driven by AI optimism and strong earnings from SK Hynix, prompting the Korea Exchange to trigger circuit breakers. Shares of chipmakers soared, leading the broader market higher, after SK Hynix reported record quarterly earnings and announced additional shareholder returns. During the market rally, the Korea Exchange activated a buy-side circuit breaker before 11 AM, suspending program trading.