Building on Friday's close, Seoul's KOSPI opened sharply higher on Monday, tracking Wall Street's AI-driven gains that eased bubble concerns. The index rose 1.69 percent to 4,088.56 early, advancing to 1.75 percent (4,090.91) by 11:20 a.m.
On December 22, 2025, the benchmark KOSPI added 68.01 points, or 1.69 percent, to 4,088.56 in the first 15 minutes of trading, further gaining 70.36 points, or 1.75 percent, to 4,090.91 by 11:20 a.m. This continued the rally from the December 19 close at 4,020.55.
The surge mirrored Friday's strong US performance despite AI valuation worries: Dow Jones +0.38 percent, Nasdaq +1.31 percent, S&P 500 +0.88 percent. Nvidia climbed 3.93 percent on reports of US review for H200 AI chip sales to China, AMD soared 6.15 percent, and Oracle rose 6.63 percent.
Seoul tech stocks led: Samsung Electronics +3.1 to 3.29 percent, SK hynix +4.39 to 5.48 percent, SK Square +3.96 to 6.02 percent, LG Energy Solution +1.85 to 2.77 percent. Doosan Enerbility +1.68 to 1.55 percent, Hanwha Aerospace +1.92 to 1.24 percent.
Automakers were mixed: Hyundai Motor recovered to +0.17 percent, Kia to -0.25 percent. Shipbuilders split, with Hanwha Ocean to +0.46 percent and HD Korea Shipbuilding to -1.19 percent.
The won traded slightly weaker at 1,477.4-1,477.7 per dollar, down 1.1-1.4 won.
