▲ Officials of the Korea Exchange (KRX) celebrate the Korea Composite Stock Price Index surpassing the 8,000-point mark at the KRX office in Seoul on May 26, 2026. (Yonhap)

stocks-open

Seoul shares open at fresh high on tech rally amid renewed tension in Middle East

SEOUL, May 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks opened at a new record high Wednesday, driven by strong gains in semiconductor stocks amid renewed tensions in the Middle East in search of a peace deal.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 194.61 points, or 2.42 percent, to 8,242.12 at the opening bell.

The index closed at 8,047.51 on Tuesday, surpassing the 8,000-point threshold for the first time in history.

It took just three weeks for the KOSPI to climb from the 7,000 level reached on May 6 to the unprecedented 8,000 territory.

Overnight on Wall Street, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq hit record closing highs as investors scooped up AI-related shares, while recent U.S. strikes on Iran dampen prospects for peace in the Middle East.

The S&P 500 gained 0.61 percent and the Nasdaq Composite rose 1.19 percent, while chipmaker Micron surged 19 percent to hit US$1 trillion in market value for the first time.

(END)

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]