South Korea’s Kospi Soars Past 6,600, Market Cap Hits ₩6,000 Trillion for First Time Amid Foreign Inflows & Chip Stock Boom
South Korea’s equity market achieved an unprecedented milestone on Monday, as its total market capitalization soared past 6,000 trillion won (approximately $4.1 trillion) for the very first time. This historic surge was propelled by a robust rally in the benchmark Kospi index, which also broke new ground by exceeding the 6,600-point threshold.
Data from the Korea Exchange indicated that the aggregated market value reached 6,120.36 trillion won by 2 p.m. on the day.
Breaking down the figures by market segment, the primary Kospi board represented the lion’s share, valued at 5,439.87 trillion won. The tech-heavy secondary Kosdaq market followed with 678.68 trillion won, while the entry-level Konex market recorded 3.59 trillion won.
This remarkable achievement underscores the South Korean stock market’s rapid growth, reaching the 6,000 trillion won market capitalization milestone at an unprecedented pace. The market cap had previously surpassed 4,000 trillion won on January 2nd and 5,000 trillion won on April 3rd of this year.
This significant growth marks nearly a threefold increase in market valuation since April 9, 2025, when the Kospi registered its annual low of 2,293.7 points. At that juncture, the Kospi’s valuation stood at 1,880.17 trillion won, and the Kosdaq at 329.85 trillion won, totaling approximately 2,210 trillion won across both markets.
The continuation of the Kospi’s impressive rally directly fueled this recent market surge.
On Monday, the Kospi opened with strong momentum, up 0.9 percent at 6,533.6, and further extended its gains to reach an intraday high of 6,657.22, establishing a new all-time record. By 2 p.m., the index was trading at 6,627.75, reflecting a solid 2.35 percent increase.
This latest climb follows a strong performance last week, where the benchmark index achieved record highs for three consecutive sessions. After a slight pullback on Friday, the Kospi swiftly regained its upward trajectory.
The rally was significantly bolstered by substantial buying from foreign investors and institutional investors. Foreign entities net purchased shares valued at 668.8 billion won, while institutions added 1.25 trillion won worth of equities. Conversely, retail investors were net sellers, offloading 1.9 trillion won.
Leading this impressive advance were South Korea’s dominant semiconductor heavyweights. Samsung Electronics stock climbed 2.28 percent to reach 224,500 won, while SK Hynix stock experienced a significant surge of 6.46 percent, hitting 1.3 million won by 2 p.m.
Notably, SK Hynix achieved its own milestone earlier in the day, breaking past the 1.3 million won threshold for the first time ever and reaching an intraday peak of 1.32 million won.
“The burgeoning AI value chain has been instrumental in propelling the local stock market capitalization to this unprecedented 6,000 trillion won level,” commented Kang Jin-hyuk, an analyst at Shinhan Securities.
He added, “Optimism is now renewed for this value chain to spur even further gains across the domestic market.”
Meanwhile, the tech-focused Kosdaq index also reported solid gains, advancing by over 1 percent. This came after it surpassed the crucial 1,200-point mark last Friday, an achievement not seen in approximately 25 years and a level last touched during the peak of the dot-com bubble in 2000.
In the foreign exchange market, the Korean won initially opened weaker against the U.S. dollar at 1,477.6 per dollar, representing a 6.9 won decline from the prior session’s close. However, the currency later saw a modest strengthening to the 1,470 level by 2 p.m., closely mirroring the positive movements within the local stock market.
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