Seoul shares scale to new peak on extended chip rally

South Korean stocks rose for a fourth straight session to a fresh peak above the 8,200 level, helped by a rally in Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. The Kospi closed at 8,288.7, up 181.19 points, or 2.25%, after hitting a daytime high of 8,457.09. The won strengthened to around 1,501.2 per dollar, and turnover was heavy at 615.2 million shares valued at 55.8 trillion won ($37.2 billion). Overnight, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq posted all-time closing highs, lifted by chip stocks, with Micron surging about 19% to reach a $1 trillion market value for the first time.

Samsung Electronics rose 2.68% to 307,000 won and SK hynix surged 9.31% to 2.24 million won, cementing the lead role of chips in the rally. Samsung Electro-Mechanics advanced 3.69% to 1.63 million won, and SK Square jumped 8.04% to 1.27 million won. By contrast, Hyundai Motor slipped 1.16% to 681,000 won and Kia declined 1.38% to 164,700 won. POSCO Holdings fell 4.19%, Kakao shed 2.29%, Lotte Shopping off 3.97% and Cosmax down 2.87%, highlighting a mixed mood despite broad chip-driven strength.