Seoul shares open lower on US losses

Seoul shares opened lower Friday, tracking overnight losses on Wall Street amid lingering concerns over the fallout from escalating US-China trade tensions. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 19.87 points, or 0.53 percent, to 3,728.50 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The Kospi jumped 2.49 percent to close at a fresh all-time high of 3,748.37 points on Thursday. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.65 percent while the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite declined 0.47 p

Oct. 17, 2025

Seoul shares soar to record high on optimism over trade deal with US

South Korean stocks hit a fresh all-time high Thursday, driven by rallies in technology and automobile shares, amid optimism over a possible trade deal with the United States. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index jumped 91.09 points, or 2.49 percent, to close at 3,748.37, marking the first time it has climbed past the 3,700 mark. Trade volume was moderate at 487.77 million shares worth 17.37 trillion won ($12.2 billion). Gainers outnumbered d

Oct. 16, 2025

Gold frenzy drives record ‘kimchi premium’

Gold prices in South Korea have surged past global levels, reviving the “kimchi premium” as investors rush to snap up the safe-haven metal amid surging demand and tight supply. The spot price of a 1-kilogram gold bullion closed at 227,000 won ($160) per gram on Wednesday on the KRX Gold Market. The Korea Exchange, the country's bourse operator, manages the gold bourse, where the precious metal is traded like an equity. According to data provided by the KRX, the international gold price stood at

Oct. 16, 2025

Kospi breaks through 3,700

Kospi reached a historic high on Thursday, breaking past 3,700 points for the first time, buoyed by strong earnings and optimism that Seoul and Washington are nearing a deal in their trade negotiations. Seoul’s benchmark index closed at a record 3,748.37, up 91.09 points, or 2.49 percent. It opened 0.51 percent higher at 3,675.82, immediately surpassing the previous intraday record of 3,659.91 set a day earlier. The index crossed 3,700 within 15 minutes of trading and continued to climb through

Oct. 16, 2025

Seoul shares open higher on tech, auto gains

Seoul shares opened higher Thursday, led by gains in technology and automobile stocks, set to head toward a fresh record high, despite lingering concerns over the potential fallout from escalating US-China trade tensions. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 35.17 points, or 0.96 percent, to 3,692.45 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, US stocks ended mixed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.04 percent while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 0.66 percent. In S

Oct. 16, 2025

Kospi market cap tops W3,000tr as market hits new high

The South Korean benchmark stock index, Kospi, climbed to a new all-time high Wednesday, surpassing the 3,650 milestone for the first time, while its total market capitalization topped 3,000 trillion won ($2.11 trillion). The Kospi closed at 3,657.28, up 95.47 points, or 2.68 percent, from the previous session, breaking its earlier record close of 3,610.6 set on Friday — in just three trading days. During intraday trading, the index hit 3,659.91, exceeding Tuesday’s intraday record of 3,646.77 a

Oct. 15, 2025

Seoul stocks soar to record high amid US-China trade woes, hopes for Fed rate cut

South Korean stocks reached a fresh all-time high Wednesday, amid escalating tensions between the United States and China and hopes for an additional rate cut by the Federal Reserve. The local currency rose against the greenback. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index jumped 95.47 points, or 2.68 percent, to close at 3,657.28, marking the first time to climb past the 3,600 mark. Trade volume was moderate, at 538.8 million shares worth 13.7 trillion won ($9.6 billion). Gainers outnumbere

Oct. 15, 2025

Seoul stocks open higher amid US-China trade tensions

South Korean stocks opened higher on Wednesday amid renewed concerns over a trade war between the United States and China. The benchmark Korea Composite Stocks Price Index rose 40.13 points, or 1.13 percent, to 3,601.94 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, US stocks ended mixed, as investors weighed Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's comments on the US economy in the face of reemerging trade tensions between the world's largest economies. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 0.

Oct. 15, 2025

Seoul stocks down for 2nd day on renewed US-China trade woes

South Korean stocks returned earlier gains to close lower Tuesday amid renewed woes over a trade war between the United States and China. The local currency fell against the greenback. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 22.74 points, or 0.63 percent, to close at 3,561.81. Trade volume was heavy at 727.3 million shares worth 18.6 trillion won ($13 billion). Losers outnumbered winners 562 to 315. Institutional investors were net sellers, offloading 629.9 billion won. Foreigners a

Oct. 14, 2025

Seoul stocks open sharply higher on chip rebound, eased trade war woes

South Korean stocks opened higher Tuesday as Samsung Electronics delivered a better-than-expected earnings guidance and US President Donald Trump softened rhetoric around tensions with China. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index advanced 38.64 points, or 1.08 percent, to 3,623.19 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, US stocks rebounded after a sell-off on Friday as President Donald Trump played down concerns of escalating tensions with China saying, "It will all be fine." Th

Oct. 14, 2025

Seoul stocks snap 3-day rise; won tumbles to 5-month low

Seoul stocks snapped their three-day winning streak to close over 0.7 percent lower Monday on renewed concerns of a trade war between the United States and China. The local currency fell to its lowest level in more than five months against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index tumbled 26.05 points, or 0.72 percent, to close at 3,584.55. Trade volume was moderate at 404.5 million shares worth 14.1 trillion won ($9.9 billion). Losers outnumbered gainers 595 to 272. Foreign

Oct. 13, 2025

Kospi retreats from record high amid US-China trade jitters

Amid renewed concerns over an escalation of the trade war between the United States and China over rare earth exports, South Korea’s benchmark Kospi index retreated Monday from Friday’s record high above 3,600, while investor risk aversion deepened and the Korean won fell to a five-month low. The Kospi closed trading at 3,584.55, down 26.05 points, or 0.72 percent, from the previous trading day. After opening at 3,550.08, paring the gains from Friday, the index slipped as low as 3,522.54 in earl

Oct. 13, 2025

Celltrion enters US autoimmune market with Avtozma

Celltrion launched its autoimmune disease treatment Avtozma (tocilizumab) in the US, the world’s largest pharmaceutical market, earlier this month, marking the company’s entry into a competitive sector long dominated by multinational drugmakers. The newly released Avtozma is an intravenous formulation sold directly through Celltrion’s US subsidiary. To enhance market competitiveness, the company set its wholesale acquisition cost at about 35 percent lower than that of the original reference drug

Oct. 13, 2025

Seoul stocks open sharply lower on US-China trade tensions

South Korean stocks opened sharply lower on Monday, amid renewed trade tensions between the United States and China. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 53.77 points, or 1.49 percent, to 3,556.83 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, President Donald Trump had tried to calm fears of escalating tensions with China in a post on social media, saying that economic troubles with China will "all be fine" and that US "wants to help China, not hurt it." His comments came hours

Oct. 13, 2025

Kospi closes above 3,600 for 1st time

South Korea’s benchmark Kospi surged to a record high Friday morning, breaking the 3,600 mark for the first time as trading resumed following the Chuseok holiday. After a weeklong national holiday that began Oct. 3, the index opened 1.38 percent higher at 3,598.1 and crossed the milestone within minutes, touching 3,605.2 at 9:02 a.m. and peaking at 3,617.86 around 10:05. Gains faded later in the day, with the gauge hovering near 3,600 at about 1 p.m. Foreign investors led the rally, snapping up

Oct. 10, 2025