Kospi continues to climb, surpasses 4,700 for first time

The Kospi surpassed the 4,700 mark for the first time in history on Wednesday. As of 9:26 a.m., the index stood at 4,700.91, up 0.18 percent from Tuesday's close. The Kospi opened at 4,685.11, down 0.16 percent.

A screen in Hana Bank's trading room in central Seoul shows the Kospi opening on Jan. 14. [YONHAP]

The Kospi surpassed the 4,700 mark for the first time in history on Wednesday.

As of 9:26 a.m., the index stood at 4,700.91, up 0.18 percent from Tuesday's close. The Kospi opened at 4,685.11, down 0.16 percent, but reversed course in early trading. It climbed as high as 4,715.75 during the session.

Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, the top two companies by market capitalization, also opened lower but later turned upward. As of 9:26 a.m., Samsung Electronics had gained 1.02 percent while SK hynix was up 0.68 percent.

Foreign investors had sold a net 283.1 billion won ($192 million), while institutional investors and retail investors bought 143.5 billion won and 128.9 billion won, respectively.

The Kosdaq was down 0.19 percent at 947.13. Foreign and institutional investors off-loaded 100.5 billion won and 39.9 billion won worth of shares, respectively, while retail investors purchased 149 billion won.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY CHO MUN-GYU [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]