▲ This photo shows the dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul on Jan. 14, 2026. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) stocks-summary

(LEAD) Seoul shares rise for 9th day at fresh record close of above 4,700; won further slips

(ATTN: ADDS bond yields at bottom; CHANGES photo)

SEOUL, Jan. 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks extended their winning streak to a ninth session Wednesday, closing above the 4,700-point mark for the first time, on strong gains in tech and auto shares. The Korean won fell sharply against the U.S. dollar.

After choppy trading, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 30.46 points, or 0.65 percent, to finish at 4,723.1, marking the ninth consecutive day it's risen since the beginning of the year.

The index swung between positive and negative terrains in the morning but turned bullish in the afternoon to set the new record high as semiconductor and auto shares gained ground.

Trade volume was heavy at 542.9 million shares worth 22.7 trillion won (US$15.4 billion), with winners beating losers 557 to 334.

Institutions purchased a net 602.1 billion won worth of stocks, leading the record-breaking rally, while foreign investors and individuals sold a net 386.9 billion won and 432.6 billion won, respectively.

"Semiconductor shares took a breather the previous session but resumed the rally today," said Lee Jae-won, an analyst from Shinhan Securities. "In particular, investors scooped up SK hynix ahead of TSMC's earnings report slated for Thursday."

Chip giant Samsung Electronics rose 1.96 percent to 140,300 won, and SK hynix climbed 0.54 percent to 742,000 won.

Hanmi Semiconductor advanced 2.66 percent to 177,800 won on a deal to provide high bandwidth memory (HBM) manufacturing equipment to SK hynix.

Auto companies were among the best performers as industry leader Hyundai Motor increased 1.35 percent to 411,500 won, and its sister Kia jumped 5.15 percent to 143,000 won.

Leading retailer Shinsegae went up 4.25 percent to 282,000 won, and APR, a major cosmetics manufacturing firm, added 2.91 percent to 230,000 won.

However, defense shares finished lower, with Hanwha Aerospace falling 1.01 percent to 1.27 million won and LIG Nex1 dropping 2.46 percent to 556,000 won.

The local currency was quoted at 1,477.5 won against the greenback at 3:30 p.m., down 3.8 won from the previous session.

Bond prices, which move inversely to yields, closed higher. The yield on three-year Treasurys fell 0.7 basis point to 2.996 percent, while the return on the benchmark five-year government bonds dropped 0.2 basis point to 3.240 percent.

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