On the 15th, the KOSPI closed above 6,000 for the first time in 32 trading days. Growing expectations for an end to the war between the United States and Iran led foreigners to log net buying for a second straight session.

The closing price appears on the dealing room display board at the Woori Bank headquarters in Jung District, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 15th, as the KOSPI ends at 6,091.39, up 123.64 points (2.07%) from the previous session (5,967.75). SK hynix closes at 1,136,000 won, up 2.99%, boosted by a surge in U.S. tech stocks./Courtesy of News1

The KOSPI rose 123.64 points, or 2.07%, from the previous trading day to close at 6,091.39. The index opened around 6,140 in early trading and moved between the 6,140–6,150 range, but gave back part of its gains before the close.

This is the first time the KOSPI has finished above 6,000 since Feb. 27 (6,244.13). Since then, the index has fluctuated below 6,000 on the fallout from the U.S.-Israel invasion of Iran.

By investor type, foreigners led the gains with 592.4 billion won in net purchases. Institutions showed a 3.2 billion won buying edge, with brokerages net buying 761.8 billion won, while pension funds and investment trusts net sold 111.6 billion won and 288.5 billion won, respectively. Individuals posted net sales of about 1 trillion won.

The market saw investor sentiment lifted by expectations of end-of-war talks between the United States and Iran, and U.S. President Trump hinted at the possibility of an end to the war, saying in a phone interview with the New York Post the previous day, "Something could happen within the next two days, and the likelihood that we will go there has increased."

By individual stock, SK hynix hit an intraday record high, nearing the "1.2 million-nix" mark. On hopes for Middle East reconstruction, construction stocks broadly gained, including Daewoo Engineering & Construction. On news of silicon supply to SpaceX, OCI Holdings also surged 25% to close sharply higher.

The KOSDAQ also rose 30.55 points, or 2.72%, to finish at 1,152.43. Foreigners and institutions net bought 121.4 billion won and 156 billion won, respectively, driving the index higher.

As hacking concerns tied to Anthropic came to the fore, quantum encryption and security-related stocks rallied. ICTK and AXGATE hit the upper limit (the top of the daily price band) at the close. Sam Chun Dang Pharm also jumped 6% to finish sharply higher after news it directly acquired the S-PASS patent rights.

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