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Kospi tops 5,800 as bull run stampedes to new record

Published: 20 Feb. 2026, 09:58 Updated: 20 Feb. 2026, 15:12

KIM JU-YEON
[email protected]

A screen in Hana Bank's trading room in central Seoul shows the Kospi trading at 5,800.06 points on Feb. 20. [YONHAP]

Shares hit record highs on Friday as the Kospi broke past 5,700 for the first time shortly after market open, with gains extending past 5,800 in afternoon trading. The market opened higher despite overnight losses on Wall Street, driven by heightened geopolitical risks and market uncertainty.

The benchmark index added 45.86 points, or 0.81 percent, to 5,723.11 in the first 15 minutes of trading, later reaching 5,801.11 as of 1:45 p.m.

The Kospi has been on a bull run in recent sessions and set a new closing record of 5,677.25 on Thursday amid optimism surrounding AI and subsequent gains in chipmakers and other big-cap technology shares.

On Thursday, U.S. shares lost ground amid fears that a standoff between the United States and Iran over Tehran's nuclear program may escalate. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.54 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite lost 0.32 percent. The S&P 500 declined 0.28 percent.

In Seoul, big-cap shares opened mixed.

Market bellwether Samsung Electronics shed 0.16 percent, while chip giant SK hynix lost 0.56 percent on profit-taking.

Top automaker Hyundai Motor fell 0.19 percent, and its sister affiliate Kia decreased 0.35 percent.

Leading battery maker LG Energy Solution inched down 0.12 percent, and AI investment firm SK Square sank 1.77 percent.

Bio shares traded mixed. Pharmaceutical giant Samsung Biologics went up 0.87 percent, while Celltrion slid 0.41 percent.

Nuclear power plant builder Doosan Enerbility surged 6.81 percent, and defense giant Hanwha Aerospace spiked 5.48 percent.

Leading shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy and its rival Hanwha Ocean advanced 3.14 percent and 2.06 percent, respectively.

Financials gathered ground. KB Financial added 1.86 percent, and Shinhan Financial grew 1.88 percent.

The local currency weakened 5.45 won from the previous session to trade at 1,450.95 against the greenback at 9:15 a.m.

Updated, Feb. 2, 2026: Updated market numbers to reflect afternoon trading.

BY KIM JU-YEON, YONHAP [[email protected]]