South Korea's leading chip manufacturer, SK Hynix, ascended to the top spot in operating profits among the country's 1,000 major listed companies last year, surpassing its long-standing rival Samsung Electronics for the first time. According to a report issued on Monday by CXO Research, a prominent South Korean corporate tracking institution, this milestone can be attributed to the resurgence of the global semiconductor market and SK Hynix's dominant position in the high-bandwidth memory segment essential for AI semiconductor drives. Previously, SK Hynix had consistently reported substantial growth in its operating profits, as evidenced by its financial reports.