Korea Stocks Gyrate as Top Aide Floats AI ‘Dividend’

A top South Korean policymaker said the nation could pay citizens a “dividend” using excess tax revenue from AI profits, underscoring growing pressure to redistribute gains from a boom that’s enriched chipmakers like Samsung Electronics Co. and SK Hynix Inc.

The Facebook post late Monday by presidential policy chief Kim Yong-beom discussed how South Korea could use “excess tax revenue” generated by the AI boom. Early Tuesday, Korea stocks experienced sharp swings, in part as investors struggled to parse the scope of the proposals. The benchmark Kospi sank as much as 5.1%, then pared losses. An official at the president’s office told Bloomberg News that Kim’s remarks represented his personal opinion and weren’t the subject of formal discussions.