Seoul shares crossed the 6,000-point mark for the first time late Wednesday morning, driven by a rally in technology and automobile stocks. The benchmark Kospi index rose 1.94 percent to 6,085.30 as of 11:20 a.m.
The benchmark Kospi index climbed 115.66 points, or 1.94 percent, to 6,085.30 as of 11:20 a.m. on Wednesday, extending its winning streak to five days. This followed a more than 2 percent gain the previous day, closing at a record high of 5,969.64.
The index has maintained upward momentum in recent weeks, first surpassing 5,000 points on January 27 and crossing 5,500 on February 12. It moved above 5,800 last Friday. Gains were led by technology and automobile stocks, which offset ongoing uncertainty from U.S. trade policies.
In the U.S., President Donald Trump has pushed for new tariffs after the Supreme Court invalidated his initial broad duties. He signed an executive order on Friday (U.S. time) authorizing 10 percent global tariffs effective Tuesday and has threatened to increase them to 15 percent, though no formal order for the higher rate has been issued. Analysts noted that investors remain cautious about these developments.
Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.76 percent, and the Nasdaq composite advanced 1.04 percent. In Korea, institutions net bought 167.22 billion won ($116 million) worth of shares, and individuals purchased 735.26 billion won, countering foreign selling of 982.14 billion won.
Key performers included Samsung Electronics, up 1.75 percent, and SK hynix, which gained 2.09 percent. Hyundai Motor surged 9.35 percent, while affiliate Kia fell 3.85 percent. Defense firm Hanwha Aerospace dropped 2.26 percent, and shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean declined 0.52 percent. The Korean won traded at 1,438.30 against the U.S. dollar as of 11:20 a.m., up 4.2 won from the prior session.
