On the 22nd, the KOSPI successfully settled above 5,000, known as the "dream index," opening a new horizon for Korea's stock market. The break above 5,000 is being interpreted not merely as a rise in the index, but as a signal that Korea's capital market has escaped a chronic undervaluation phase and entered a full-fledged developed-market model.
As of 9:13 a.m. that day, the KOSPI was trading at 5,002.97, up 93.04 points (1.89%) from the previous session. Intraday, it climbed to as high as 5,016.73 points, once again rewriting the record high.
It has been only three months since the start of the "4,000 era" on Oct. 27 last year. By quickly surpassing the 5,000 peak in a short period, the KOSPI is said to be continuing an unprecedentedly steep rally. Despite internal and external uncertainty, confidence in the fundamentals has provided support, and the KOSPI has stepped into an uncharted realm of history.
The KOSPI's rise was largely driven by an overnight surge in U.S. stocks after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would not use force over the Greenland annexation issue and withdrew tariffs he had planned to impose on eight European countries.
In the main board, individual investors are net buyers on a large scale, purchasing a net 961.1 billion won and lifting share prices. Foreign investors and institutions were net sellers of 596.6 billion won and 371.6 billion won, respectively.
Market heavyweights also flashed red. Samsung Electronics, SK hynix and Hyundai Motor are up more than 4%, while SK Square (3.60%), LG Energy Solution (2.15%), Doosan Enerbility (2.08%) and Kia (0.58%) are also rising. In contrast, Samsung Biologics (-3.10%), Hanwha Aerospace (-2.81%) and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (-0.63%) are weaker.
At the same time, the KOSDAQ was trading at 959.36, up 8.07 points (0.85%) from the previous session. The KOSDAQ started at 959.77, up 0.89% from the previous session. In the KOSDAQ market, only individual investors were net buyers with 309.2 billion won, while foreign investors and institutions were net sellers of 218.4 billion won and 77.7 billion won, respectively.
Most top KOSDAQ market-cap stocks are strong. EcoPro BM jumped more than 5%, and EcoPro and Sam Chun Dang Pharm are up about 4%. HLB (2.19%), Kolon TissueGene (0.69%), Alteogen (0.54%) and LigaChem Biosciences (0.27%) are also rising.
In the Seoul foreign exchange market that day, the won-dollar exchange rate opened at 1,467 won per $1, down 4.3 won from the previous session.
Meanwhile, on the 20th (local time) in New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished at 49,077.23, up 1.21% from the previous session. The Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500 rose 1.16% to 6,875.62, and the Nasdaq gained 1.18% to 23,224.82.