KOSPI surpasses historic 5,000-point mark in intraday trading

Dealers celebrate in front of an electronic trading board at Hana Bank’s headquarters in central Seoul, Thursday, as the benchmark KOSPI briefly crossed the historic 5,000-point mark. The index opened 1.57 percent higher from the previous day at 4,987.06 points and quickly climbed to 5,002.88 points, surpassing 5,000 for the first time. It reached an intraday high of 5,019.54 points, but later faded, retreating to close at 4,952.53 points. Yonhap

The benchmark KOSPI surged past 5,000 points during intraday trading on Thursday, reaching a historic high 46 years after the index’s baseline was set at 100.

The main index got off to a strong start, rising 1.57 percent to open at 4,987.06 points and quickly climbing to 5,002.88 points.

It reached an intraday high of 5,019.54 points and fluctuated between 4,900 and 5,000 throughout the day, before ultimately closing at 4,952.53 points, up 42.6 points — or 0.87 percent — from Wednesday.

The KOSPI hit the 5,000-point milestone largely on the back of semiconductor stocks, namely Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, amid the artificial intelligence (AI) boom, with gains spreading to robotics shares for Hyundai Motor, which is leading the way in physical AI.

Foreign and institutional investors were net buyers of more than 298 billion won ($202.7 million) and 102 billion won in stocks, respectively, offsetting the 156 billion won in net selling by retail investors.

The buying spree has contributed to a cumulative gain of 14.9 percent since the start of the year, following a 75.6 percent surge in 2025 — the strongest performance among major global markets.

The KOSPI has continued to outperform major peers in 2026, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 up 1.43 percent and 0.25 percent, respectively, while the Nasdaq has declined 0.4 percent as of Wednesday (local time).

This unprecedented milestone reflects decades of growth since the market’s baseline was established on Jan. 4, 1980.

It took more than nine years for KOSPI to surpass 1,000 points (March 31, 1989) and about 18 years to reach 2,000 points (July 25, 2007), delayed by the late 1990s financial crisis, the dot-com bubble, and other domestic and external shocks.

The index crossed 3,000 points on Jan. 7, 2021, buoyed by the COVID-19 stimulus package, but fell below that level during the postpandemic period before surging to 4,000 points on Oct. 27, 2025.

The 5,000-point milestone distinguishes itself from earlier 1,000-point thresholds due to the quick pace of its ascent, as it was reached less than three months after breaking 4,000 points.

The Ministry of Economy and Finance said it will continue efforts to modernize and revitalize the stock market until Korea overcomes the so-called “Korea discount,” which refers to the undervaluation of domestic stocks compared with global peers.

As for the outlook, analysts said the KOSPI may continue its upward momentum, sustained by the AI boom.

Samsung Electronics rose 1.87 percent to 152,300 won per share on Thursday, while SK hynix climbed 2.03 percent to 755,000 won.

Together, they currently account for more than 30 percent of the KOSPI’s 4,000 trillion won market capitalization, up 25 percent from last year.

“They are apparently behind the money flowing into the KOSPI,” said Jung Eui-jung, head of the Korean Stockholders’ Alliance.