KOSPI Closes Above 7,800 for the First Time on Strength of Samsung Electronics and SK hynix

Samsung Electronics Gains Over 6%, SK hynix Surges More Than 11%

Individuals and Institutions Lead the Rally, While Foreign Investors Sell

KOSDAQ Closes Down at 1,207.34 Compared to Previous Day

As buying momentum concentrated on leading artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor stocks, namely Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, the KOSPI index closed above the 7,800 mark for the first time ever.

On the 11th, when the KOSPI index surpassed the 7,800 mark intraday for the first time ever, an employee was monitoring the stock market and exchange rates in the dealing room at the Hana Bank headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul. On that day, the KOSPI opened at 7,775.31, up 277.31 points (3.70%) from the previous trading day, and the KOSDAQ started at 1,212.88, up 5.16 points (0.43%). 2026.5.8 Photo by Jo Yongjun

On the 11th, the KOSPI index finished trading at 7,822.24, up 324.24 points (4.32%) from the previous trading day. Although foreign investors recorded a net sell of 3,911.877 billion won, individuals and institutions led the upward trend by net buying 3,105.355 billion won and 824.732 billion won, respectively.

By sector, the electrical and electronics sector, which includes semiconductor stocks, surged by 6.87%. Manufacturing (+5.34%), transportation equipment and parts (+4.15%), wholesale and retail (+3.15%), and telecommunications (+2.35%) also closed higher. In contrast, transport and storage (-2.15%), utilities (-2.09%), pharmaceuticals (-1.96%), paper and wood (-1.79%), non-metallic minerals (-1.66%), and chemicals (-1.45%) closed lower.

Among the top stocks by market capitalization, the gains of Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, ranked first and second, were particularly notable. Samsung Electronics ended trading at 285,500 won, up 17,000 won (6.3%) from the previous trading day, while SK hynix closed at 188,000 won, up 19,000 won (11.5%). SK Square, which holds a stake in SK hynix, also ended at 1,187,000 won, up 89,000 won (8.1%).

Other notable gainers included Hyundai Mobis (+8.6%), Samsung C&T (+6.9%), Kia (+6.2%), Samsung Heavy Industries (+6.2%), Hyundai Motor (+5.3%), and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (+4.8%). On the other hand, Celltrion (-3.5%), Hyundai Rotem (-3.4%), HD Hyundai Electric (-2.9%), and LS ELECTRIC (-2.8%) closed lower.

The KOSDAQ index ended the day at 1,207.34, down 0.38 points (0.03%) from the previous trading day. By investor type, foreign investors and individuals recorded net buys of 65.519 billion won and 150.295 billion won, respectively, while institutions net sold 172.995 billion won.

By sector, most sectors closed lower except for machinery and equipment (+3.87%), medical and precision instruments (+1.11%), manufacturing (+0.77%), and electrical and electronics (+0.17%). The textile and apparel sector saw the steepest decline at -5.40%, with construction (-4.04%), publishing and media replication (-3.04%), entertainment and culture (-2.96%), and paper and wood (-2.64%) also showing weakness.

The top three stocks by market capitalization all declined. Ecopro BM fell 15,500 won (6.5%) to 222,000 won, Ecopro dropped 8,600 won (5.5%) to 146,400 won, and Alteogen closed at 325,000 won, down 15,200 won (4.5%).

Uri Technology (-4.2%), Voronoi (-3.9%), Padu (-3.8%), and PharmaResearch (-3.8%) also ended lower. In contrast, robot stocks such as Robotis (+12.8%) and Rainbow Robotics (+10.3%) showed strong gains, while equipment stocks like Jusung Engineering (+17.9%) and Wonik IPS (+6.5%) also closed higher, boosted by the semiconductor rally.

Meanwhile, in the Seoul foreign exchange market, the won-dollar exchange rate closed at 1,472.4 won as of 3:30 p.m., up 0.7 won from the previous trading day.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.