South Korea's AI rally is reshaping romance, reality shows and academic preferences

Plan Shooting 2 / Imazins | Imazins | Getty ImagesSouth Korea's AI stock rally is rapidly transforming different corners of the country's society ranging all the way from romance to academics.In Korea's dating scene, professionals such as physicians, lawyers and judges, have traditionally been the most sought-after. Now the preferences are changing, as the AI boom makes those working in the chip sector — flush with hefty bonuses — the new gems of the dating pool."Recently, we've seen increased preference for people working in semiconductor companies such as SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics, as well as AI-related occupations," said a spokesperson for Korean matchmaking company Gayeon.Samsung and SK Hynix both joined the trillion-dollar club earlier this year, and their share prices have each surged around 95% and around 135% so far this year.Big bonus payouts have given employees at the chip giants an edge.Last year, SK Hynix agreed to share 10% of its operating profit, which comes to roughly 700 million won per employee, or a little over half a million dollars, according to Reuters calculations. That is more than 15 times the average annual salary Koreans took home last year.Under ...