The benchmark KOSPI rose more than 1% to around 6,650 on Thursday, rebounding from the previous session as risk appetite improved on the back of overnight gains on Wall Street and easing tensions in the Middle East. President Donald Trump indicated that any renewed US strikes on Iran would likely be short‑lived, while a pullback in oil prices helped alleviate concerns over inflation and energy costs.
Technology shares led the advance, with Samsung Electronics and SK hynix each adding more than 1%. Other notable gainers included SK Square (1.0%), Hyundai Motor (1.3%), LG Energy Solution (6.3%), KB Financial Group (5.8%), Hanwha Aerospace (2.4%), Doosan Enerbility (3.0%), Shinhan Financial Group (3.8%), and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (2.7%).
Upside momentum was capped, however, by renewed worries over possible US tariffs on semiconductors, after Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the administration is weighing a targeted approach that would link tariff relief to investment in US chip manufacturing.
