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Kospi opens higher following extended bull run

Published: 15 Jan. 2026, 09:49

A screen in Hana Bank's trading room in central Seoul shows the Kospi opening on Jan. 15. [YONHAP]

Shares started higher Thursday after the benchmark index set a fresh record high the previous session.

Opening 0.27 percent lower, the Kospi added 21.54 points, or 0.46 percent, to 4,744.64 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

A day earlier, the index rose 0.65 percent to close at an all-time high of 4,723.10.

Overnight, the U.S. stock market fell on a drop in technology and financial shares. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.1 percent, and the Nasdaq composite fell 1 percent.

In Seoul, battery and defense shares led the gain.

Leading battery maker LG Energy Solution rose 0.26 percent, and Samsung SDI advanced 0.7 percent.

Defense giant Hanwha Aerospace increased 2.76 percent, and Korea Aerospace Industries climbed 1.68 percent.

Semiconductors were among the decliners as Samsung Electronics shed 0.36 percent and SK hynix fell 1.08 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,467.45 won against the greenback at 9:15 a.m., down 0.71 percent from the previous session of 1,477.95 won.

Yonhap