The benchmark Kospi jumped 2.57 percent to finish at 4,042.83, marking its highest close on record. Chipmakers Samsung Electronics and SK hynix once again led the advance, joined by shipbuilding and nuclear-energy plays.
Samsung Electronics surged 3.24 percent to 102,000 won ($71.18), breaking the symbolic 100,000-won barrier for the first time, while SK hynix soared 4.9 percent to 535,000 won, also reaching a record high.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the KOSPI has emerged as one of the world’s best-performing equity markets this year, rising nearly 70 percent and far outpacing the Nikkei’s 24 percent gain, Germany’s DAX at 22 percent, and Britain’s FTSE 100 at 18 percent. The MSCI All Country World ex-U.S. Index, which tracks both developed and emerging-market stocks, is up around 26 percent in 2025.
Samsung and SK hynix together accounted for more than half of the Kospi’s total gain over the past four months, underscoring the dominance of Korea’s chip sector in the market’s surge.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 climbed 2.46 percent to a historic 50,512, lifted by defense and semiconductor stocks amid optimism over new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s “Strong Japan” policy agenda. Kawasaki Heavy Industries jumped 9 percent to around 12,600 yen, while chip-testing equipment maker Advantest gained 6.5 percent to 18,200 yen.
Elsewhere in the region, Taiwan’s TAIEX rebounded 1.68 percent to 27,993.63 after a holiday break, while China’s Shanghai Composite Index rose 1.2 percent to just under 3,997 as of 4:15 p.m. (KST).
The broad-based rally reflects growing investor confidence in Asia’s manufacturing and tech recovery, supported by global demand for artificial-intelligence infrastructure and easing concerns over U.S. interest rates.
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