South Korean shares rebound over 8% on optimism Iran war could end soon

Samsung SDI Co

01/04/2026 08:29

KOSPI rises, foreigners net sellers

Korean won strengthens against dollar

South Korea benchmark bond yield falls

SEOUL, April 1 (Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial markets:

** South Korean shares rebounded sharply on Wednesday on expectations of a de-escalation in the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, while strong exports also boosted investors' risk appetite.

** The won strengthened more than 1% against the dollar and the benchmark bond yield dropped following the country's key global bond index inclusion.

** The benchmark KOSPI .KS11 closed up 426.24 points, or 8.44%, at 5,478.70, its biggest one-day rise since March 5, after sharp gains triggered a trading curb earlier in the session.

** Last month, the KOSPI Index lost 19.1% to its biggest level since October 2008.

** "Hopes are growing that the Iran war could end soon. Stabiling bond yields and exchange rates also improved foreign investor sentiment," said Lee Kyoung-min, an analyst at Daishin Securities.

** U.S. President Donald Trump and his Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the end of the war on Iran could be near, with Washington signalling potential for both direct talks with Tehran's leadership and a winding down of the conflict even without a deal.

** South Korea's exports beat forecasts in March, surging at their fastest pace in nearly four decades on an AI-driven chip boom, data showed.

** Among index heavyweights, chipmaker Samsung Electronics 005930.KS rose 13.40%, while peer SK Hynix 000660.KS gained 10.66%. Battery maker LG Energy Solution 373220.KS climbed 3.17%.

** Shares of Hyundai Motor 005380.KS and sister automaker Kia Corp 000270.KS were up 9.54% and 6.96%, respectively. Steelmaker POSCO Holdings 005490.KS added 4.06%, while drugmaker Samsung BioLogics 207940.KS rose 4.52%.

** Of the total 921 traded issues, 840 shares advanced, while 71 declined.

** Foreigners were net sellers of shares worth 626.0 billion won ($417.66 million).

** The won was quoted at 1,498.3 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform KRW=KFTC, 1.25% higher than its previous close at 1,517.0.

** The benchmark 10-year yield KR10YT=RR fell by 19.3 basis points to 3.689%, posting its biggest drop since November 2022.

($1 = 1,498.8300 won)

 (Reporting by Jihoon Lee; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)

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