Due to optimistic expectations for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting, South Korea's benchmark stock index has surpassed 4,000 points for the first time

Driven by optimistic sentiment from trade negotiations between South Korea's two major trading partners, South Korea's benchmark stock index has broken through the 4,000-point mark for the first time. On Monday, the benchmark index KOSPI closed up 101.24 points, an increase of 2.57%, closing at 4,042.83 points, setting a new historical high. "Ahead of the 'super week' filled with significant events, including the APEC meeting, various positive news is continuously boosting market confidence," said Lee Kyoung-min, an analyst at Daishin Securities. The APEC meeting refers to the annual summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. Among the weighted stocks in the index, chip manufacturer Samsung Electronics rose 3.24%, while its peer SK Hynix saw an increase of 4.90%, both reaching historical highs. Foreign investors net purchased 647.2 billion won worth of South Korean domestic stocks on that day. This year, thanks to President Lee Jae-myung's market reforms promoted under the "KOSPI 5000" initiative and the global AI boom driving a positive outlook for the semiconductor industry, the KOSPI index has continued to rise. As of 2025, the KOSPI index has accumulated a 68% increase, outperforming major stock indices on Wall Street in the United States and other major Asian markets such as Japan. The electronics and electrical sector, including chip-weighted stocks, has seen an increase of over 100% this year, while the market capitalization of the securities company sector has more than doubled