KOSPI Market Cap Tops 7,000 Trillion Won... Samsung Electronics Also Breaks 2,000 Trillion Won

The market capitalization of the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) entered the 7,000 trillion won range for the first time in history. Samsung Electronics was the main driver, as it became the first single stock to exceed 2,000 trillion won in market value. The KOSPI also closed above the 8,700 level for the first time on a closing basis.
According to the Korea Exchange (KRX) on the 1st, the KOSPI closed at 8,788.38, up 312.23 points, or 3.68%, from the previous session. As a result, the combined market capitalization of all KOSPI-listed companies reached 7,204.5093 trillion won, marking the first entry into the 7,000 trillion won range.
The index rose above the 8,500 level shortly after the market opened and climbed as high as 8,874.16 during the session, breaking through the 8,800 mark. Around 11:30 a.m., a sidecar, or temporary suspension of program buy orders, was triggered in the KOSPI market.
Institutional investors led the rally with a net purchase of 253.5 billion won on the day. The index is now just 211 points away from 9,000 on a closing basis, and 126 points away based on the intraday high.
Samsung Electronics drove the market higher after jumping more than 10% in a single day. With the gain, Samsung Electronics' common stock market capitalization swelled to 2,040.3512 trillion won. It is the first time a listed company in South Korea has reached the 2,000 trillion won range.
The market's strength was attributed to strong exports led by semiconductors and rising investor expectations ahead of NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang's visit to South Korea. Exports last month rose 53.24% from a year earlier to $87.75 billion. Semiconductor exports, in particular, surged 169.4%, driving the overall export recovery.
Kyung-min Lee, a researcher at Daishin Securities, explained, "Investor sentiment toward related industries strengthened after NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang announced in his keynote speech at GTC Taipei that mass production of the Vera Rubin chip had begun, and said that Micron, SK hynix, and Samsung Electronics had adopted HBM4." He added, "Samsung Electronics had recently lagged behind SK hynix in momentum, so it posted a sharp rally today."
Brokerages are continuing to raise their target prices for Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. On the day, SK Securities lifted its target prices for the two chipmakers to 610,000 won and 4 million won, respectively, on expectations that the semiconductor boom will last longer.
nodelay@fnnews.com Park Ji-yeon Reporter