South Korean Shares Lifted by Wall Street Momentum

The benchmark KOSPI rose 0.5% to around 3,200 on Thursday, marking a third straight gain, supported by a tech-led rally on Wall Street and domestic corporate reform efforts. Sentiment tracked Wall Street’s strong performance overnight, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq advancing as Alphabet and Apple gained after Google’s parent avoided being split up in an antitrust case, boosting risk appetite across Asian markets. Domestically, all ten major business groups, including Samsung, SK, and Hyundai, submitted plans under the government’s value-up program aimed at addressing the “Korea discount,” or undervaluation of local stocks. Still, sentiment was capped after US President Trump threatened tariffs on countries regulating American tech firms, with reports suggesting South Korea could be a target given its planned digital platform regulation. Among major movers, SK Hynix rose 1.1%, LG Energy Solution gained 1.7%, and Doosan Enerbility added 2.4%, while Samsung Electronics slipped 0.3%.