Korean stocks reversed steep early losses to close slightly higher Monday, as bargain hunting in secondary battery and auto shares offset weakness in semiconductor heavyweights. KOSPI closed at 5,768.01, up 1.76 percent. The benchmark index pared its losses after opening more than 3 percent lower. Stocks attempted to rebound as bargain hunters stepped in, but persistent doubts over the profitability of AI infrastructure investments limited gains. Foreign and retail investors were net sellers of 37.9 billion won ($28.47 million) and 1.09 trillion won, respectively, while institutional investors were net buyers of 574.7 billion won. Samsung Electronics gained 1.16 percent to close at 218,000 won, while SK hynix added 0.39 percent to 1,277,000 won. The gains came amid Friday's sell-off in artificial intelligence-related stocks on Wall Street, as credit concerns surrounding CoreWeave resurfaced. Yet bargain hunting shifted to other sectors. Secondary battery stocks posted strong gains, buoyed by reports that Chinese energy storage system companies were withdrawing from the U.S. market. Samsung