Seoul, Aug 3 (EFE).- South Korean companies in the metals sector have skyrocketed on the stock market in recent days as a result of the alleged creation of a new superconducting material, which, if verified by the scientific community, could mark a significant advance in various industries. This Thursday, local metal processing companies such as Seowon and Sunam closed with advances of around 30% on the Seoul Stock Exchange, in contrast to the decline in the benchmark Kospi index of 0.42%, and after having registered similar advances on the eve.
SK Hynix, the second largest chipmaker in the country, gained 0.42%, while the national technology leader Samsung Electronics lost 1.57%, infected by the general bearish trend in line with that of the day before on Wall Street. Analysts attribute the aforementioned increases to the publication of two scientific articles at the end of July by researchers from the South Korean Quantum Energy Research Center institute on the airXiv virtual repository, where they claimed to have developed a new superconductor capable of operating at room temperature.
The articles, which have not yet been verified by other researchers, have aroused enormous interest in the scientific community regarding the possibility that the new material could significantly improve the efficiency of superconductors, which are used in various areas involving They range from computing to transportation or energy.
South Korean researchers claim to have developed a new material called LK-99 that works as a superconductor - capable of conducting electrical current without resistance or loss of energy - under ambient temperature and pressure conditions, which has also aroused skepticism among experts.
The American scientific magazine Science published an article on July 27 pointing out the lack of detail in the information provided by the South Korean researchers, adding that the alleged discoveries are being examined by the Argonne National Laboratory, which plans to publish its findings. in the coming days.
