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KOSPI Breaks 7,800 Mark as Chip Stocks Fuel Record Rally

South Korea's KOSPI index surged to a fresh record high above 7,800 points on Monday, driven by a rally in semiconductor shares. The index rose 4.32% to 7,822.22, continuing its record-breaking run for a fifth consecutive session. Combined market capitalisation of KOSPI and KOSDAQ topped 7,000 trillion won ($4.75 trillion) for the first time. The gains came despite concerns over the US-Iran peace deal, as chipmakers tracked Wall Street's recent surge.

Key Points: KOSPI Above 7,800 on Chip Stock Surge

  • KOSPI hits record high above 7,800 points
  • Chip stocks Samsung Electronics and SK hynix surge
  • Combined market cap surpasses $4.75 trillion
  • Buy-side sidecar issued due to sharp rise
  • Gains continue despite US-Iran deal concerns
2 min read

KOSPI above 7,800 on bullish run of chip shares

South Korea's KOSPI hits record high above 7,800, driven by semiconductor shares. Market cap surpasses $4.75 trillion for the first time.

"Major chipmakers here were driving up the KOSPI, tracking recent gains on Wall Street. - Yonhap News Agency"

Seoul, May 11

South Korean stocks were trading at a fresh record high of above 7,800 points on late Monday morning, boosted by an extended rally of blue chip semiconductor shares, despite woes over the U.S.-Iran peace deal falling apart.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) had surged 324.22 points, or 4.32 percent, to 7,822.22 as of 11:20 a.m. after rising as high as 7876.60, reports Yonhap news agency.

The index has been on a record-breaking run for the fifth consecutive session, heading toward the unprecedented 8,000-point milestone.

Due to the sharp rise, a buy-side sidecar was issued at around 9:29 a.m., halting trading for five minutes.

With the bull run, the combined market capitalisation of the KOSPI and the secondary bourse KOSDAQ surpassed 7,000 trillion won (US$4.75 trillion) for the first time in history on Monday.

The combined market cap of the KOSPI and KOSDAQ topped 4,000 trillion won on Jan. 2 and surged to above 6,000 trillion won on April 27.

Monday's surge came even after U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier in the day he cannot accept Iran's peace offer, which raised concerns over a potentially botched peace deal between the United States and Iran.

Major chipmakers here were driving up the KOSPI, tracking recent gains on Wall Street.

On Friday (local time), major U.S. stock indexes closed higher, driven by a surge in chip and artificial intelligence (AI) shares.

Micron soared 15.49 percent, AMD jumped 11.44 percent, and Nvidia rose 1.75 percent.

In Seoul, market top-cap Samsung Electronics surged 6.33 percent, and its chipmaking rival SK hynix skyrocketed 11.68 percent as of 11:20 a.m., both reaching a new high.

AI investment firm SK Square advanced 5.1 percent, and trading firm Samsung C&T climbed 5.21 percent.

Auto giant Hyundai Motor rose 2.45 percent, while its sister Kia added 5.47 percent and its auto-parts making affiliate Hyundai Mobis escalated 7.66 percent.

Major shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy also gained 3.04 percent

Major battery makers were mixed, with LG Energy Solution losing 1.26 percent and Samsung SDI up 1.33 percent.

Electrical shares lost ground, with HD Hyundai Electric down 2.71 percent and LS Electric dropping 3.83 percent.

The Korean won was trading at 1,472.7 won against the U.S. dollar at 11:20 a.m., down 1.0 won from the previous session.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

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Lisa P
Interesting to see South Korea's market resilience despite geopolitical tensions. Samsung and SK hynix are really powering this surge. In India, we need more domestic chip manufacturing to reduce reliance on imports. Not all good news though — the KOSDAQ sidecar halt shows volatility. Hope retail investors aren't getting carried away.
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Priya S
Wow, 7,000 trillion won market cap — that's mind-boggling! South Korea's focus on AI and semiconductors is really paying off. Meanwhile in India, we have potential but need more policy stability for tech stocks. The KOSPI halts make me wonder if this is sustainable. But for now, kudos to Korean investors! 🙌
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David E
The semiconductor boom is global, and South Korea is capitalizing perfectly. But I'm skeptical — these sidecar halts signal overheating. India has seen similar patterns in small-cap rallies. Diversification matters. Personally, I'd wait for a correction before jumping into Korean equities.
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Ravi K
South Korea's tech-driven growth is impressive, but I worry about over-reliance on a few chip stocks. The US-Iran tensions add risk — if oil prices spike, it could hit all emerging markets including ours. India should use this as a lesson to build a more diversified tech ecosystem. Still, happy for our Korean friends! 👍
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Sneha F
Good to see global markets rallying! The KOSPI surge reminds me of India's own IT boom in 2020-21. But I'm cautious — the sidecar mechanism shows this is a fast-paced rally that could correct quickly. For Indian investors, it's

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