South Korean shares end at fresh peak as battery makers gain

LG Energy Solution

22/04/2026 07:55

KOSPI rises, foreigners net sellers

Korean won strengthens against dollar

South Korea benchmark bond yield rises

For the midday report, please click nL1N415028

SEOUL, April 22 (Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial markets:

** South Korean shares closed at a fresh peak on Wednesday, as gains in battery makers overcame profit-taking pressure on chipmakers.

** The benchmark KOSPI .KS11 closed up 29.46 points, or 0.46%, at 6,417.93, after earlier touching 6,423.29.

** "Despite risk-averse sentiment triggered by external factors, the index was supported by earnings and orders momentum," said Lee Kyoung-min, an analyst at Daishin Securities.

** Battery maker Samsung SDI 006400.KS rose 2.17% and peer LG Energy Solution 373220.KS climbed 1.36%, extending this week's rally triggered by Samsung SDI's supply deal with Mercedes-Benz MGBn.DE. Battery materials maker LG Chem 051910.KS rose 0.64%.

** Chipmaker Samsung Electronics 005930.KS fell 0.68%, while peer SK Hynix 000660.KS closed down 0.08%, after hitting an all-time high earlier.

** SK Hynix said it plans to invest 19 trillion won ($12.87 billion) in a new manufacturing plant in South Korea for advanced packaging, to meet rising global demand for artificial-intelligence memory. The chipmaker is scheduled to report its first-quarter results later this week.

** Of the total 906 traded issues, 398 shares advanced, while 466 declined.

** Foreigners were net sellers of shares worth 674.9 billion won.

** The won was quoted at 1,476.0 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform KRW=KFTC, 0.25% higher than its previous close at 1,479.7.

** In money and debt markets, June futures on three-year treasury bonds KTBc1 lost 0.09 point to 104.28.

** The most liquid three-year Korean treasury bond yield KR3YT=RR rose by 3.2 basis points to 3.365%, while the benchmark 10-year yield KR10YT=RR rose by 2.6 basis points to 3.698%.

($1 = 1,476.0000 won)

(Reporting by Jihoon Lee; Editing by Harikrishnan Nair)

((jihoon.lee@thomsonreuters.com;))