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Seoul shares end at another record high, just shy of 4,700

Published: 13 Jan. 2026, 18:12

A screen in Hana Bank's trading room in central Seoul shows the Kospi closing at 4,692.64 points on Jan. 13, up 67.85 points, or 1.47 percent, from the previous trading session. [YONHAP]

Shares ended almost 1.5 percent higher at another record milestone on Tuesday, inching closer to the 4,700-point mark as defense and auto shares offset declines in semiconductor stocks. The Korean won fell to a three-week low against the U.S. dollar.

The Kospi rose 67.85 points, or 1.47 percent, to finish at 4,692.64, extending its winning streak to eight sessions.

The index opened 0.81 percent higher and extended gains to touch an all-time intraday high of 4,714.15 at 3:20 p.m.

Trade volume was heavy at 423.3 million shares worth 25 trillion won ($17 billion), with gainers closely outnumbering losers 447 to 430.

Institutions led the bullish mode, purchasing a net 788.5 billion won worth of stocks, while foreign investors and individuals sold a net 279 billion won and 713.1 billion won, respectively.

"Despite a slowdown in semiconductor shares, bullish defense, shipbuilding and auto stocks pushed up the Kospi to extend its record-breaking performance," said Lee Jae-won, an analyst from Shinhan Securities.

Top carmaker Hyundai Motor was the biggest winner as investors were buoyed by Atlas, the humanoid robot developed by the company's U.S. subsidiary Boston Dynamics and unveiled at CES 2026 last week.

Shares of Hyundai Motor surged 10.63 percent to a record 406,000 won, and its auto parts affiliate Hyundai Mobis skyrocketed 14.47 percent to 451,000 won.

Defense firms also finished in positive territory amid rising geopolitical tensions worldwide, with the industry leader Hanwha Aerospace vaulting 5.78 percent to 1.28 million won and LIG Nex1 advancing 1.79 percent to 570,000 won.

Leading shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries soared 6.79 percent to 645,000 won, and Hanwha Ocean went up 2.88 percent to 149,900 won.

LG Energy Solution, a major battery maker, increased 3.96 percent to 394,000 won, and No. 1 internet company Naver expanded 3.52 percent to 264,500 won.

However, chipmakers closed lower as Samsung Electronics lost 0.86 percent to 137,600 won, and SK hynix retreated 1.47 percent to 738,000 won.

The local currency was quoted at 1,473.7 won against the greenback at 3:30 p.m., up 0.36 percent from the previous session. It was the lowest level since Dec. 23, when the won-dollar rate was quoted at 1,483.6 won.

Bond prices, which move inversely to yields, closed lower. The yield on three-year Treasurys rose 2.3 basis points to 3.003 percent, while the return on the benchmark five-year government bonds climbed 3 basis points to 3.242 percent.

Yonhap