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Kospi ends sharply higher on auto gains

Published: 05 Dec. 2025, 17:47

A screen at Woori Bank's trading room in central Seoul shows the Kospi closing at 4,100.05 points on Dec. 5, up 71.54 points, or 1.78 percent, from the previous trading session. [YONHAP]

Shares closed sharply higher Friday as investors snapped up shares in major automakers amid reduced U.S. tariff concerns. The won strengthened against the dollar.

After opening lower, the benchmark Kospi climbed 71.54 points, or 1.78 percent, to close at 4,100.05.

Trade volume was moderate at 474.7 million shares worth 16.13 trillion won ($10.98 billion), with winners beating losers 597 to 277.

Foreigners and institutions purchased a net 992.54 billion won and 1.15 trillion won worth of stocks, respectively, while individuals off-loaded 2.12 trillion won alone.

The index had initially opened lower on profit-taking but rebounded after foreigners shifted to net buying.

"The auto sector led today's market," Lee Kyung-min, an analyst at Daishin Securities, said, noting Hyundai Motor Group has been the main driver of the Kospi's gains.

Most large-cap shares ended higher.

No. 1 automaker Hyundai Motor jumped 11.11 percent to a 52-week high of 315,000 won, and its sister automaker Kia added 2.74 percent to 123,600 won on reduced tariff concerns.

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration earlier posted on the Federal Register a notice implementing certain tariff elements of a Korea-U.S. trade deal, including a reduced duty rate of 15 percent on Korean autos retroactive to Nov. 1.

Top-cap Samsung Electronics increased 3.14 percent to 108,400 won, and its chipmaking rival SK hynix went up 0.37 to 544,000 won.

Leading battery maker LG Energy Solution was up 3.9 percent to 426,000 won.

Hanwha Aerospace increased 4.68 percent to 895,000 won.

The local currency was quoted at 1,468.8 won against the greenback at 3:30 p.m., down 0.32 percent from the previous session's 3:30 p.m. quote of 1,473.5 won.

Bond prices, which move inversely to yields, ended higher. The yield on three-year Treasurys went down 3.1 basis points to 2.994 percent, and the return on the benchmark five-year government bonds decreased 3.1 basis points to 3.198 percent.

Yonhap