South Korean shares jump 5% to record high as chipmakers rally

LG Energy Solution

04/05/2026 07:56

KOSPI rises, foreigners net buyers

Korean won strengthens against dollar

South Korea benchmark bond yield rises

SEOUL, May 4 (Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial markets:

** South Korean shares rose more than 5% on Monday to a record close, as chipmakers rallied on artificial intelligence optimism fuelled by upbeat data and U.S. earnings.

** The benchmark KOSPI .KS11 ended up 338.12 points, or 5.12%, at 6,936.99, its highest closing level on record. It was the biggest daily percentage rise since April 8.

** South Korean financial markets were closed on Friday for a public holiday and will be closed on Tuesday for another holiday.

** Samsung Electronics 005930.KS rose 5.44% and SK Hynix 000660.KS gained 12.52%, with both chipmakers closing at record levels.

** The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq advanced to record closing highs on Friday, boosted by robust earnings of major technology firms. .N

** South Korea's factory activity expanded at the strongest pace in more than four years in April, as semiconductor demand continued to power both output and new orders, a survey showed on Monday.

** South Korean exports rose for an 11th month in April, beating forecasts on a boom in chip sales, data showed on Friday.

** "AI-related stocks are rising tirelessly, with the market becoming fearless," said Huh Jae-hwan, an analyst at Eugene Investment Securities.

** Most other sectors also rose, with securities firms .KS53 rallying 10.1% on hopes of a boost in earnings from a stock market boom.

** Of the total 891 traded issues, 392 shares advanced, while 476 declined.

** Foreigners were net buyers of shares worth 3 trillion won ($2.05 billion).

** The won was quoted at 1,462.8 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform KRW=KFTC, 1% higher than its previous close at 1,477.5.

** The most liquid three-year Korean treasury bond yield KR3YT=RR rose by 1.4 basis points to 3.604%, while the benchmark 10-year yield KR10YT=RR rose by 7.2 basis points to 3.916%.

($1 = 1,464.8000 won)

 (Reporting by Jihoon Lee; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala)

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