Seoul shares up over 3.5 pct late Wed. morning on tech surge

▲ A dealing room at Hana Bank in central Seoul on March 18, 2026 (Yonhap)

stocks-morning

Seoul shares up over 3.5 pct late Wed. morning on tech surge

SEOUL, March 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korean shares traded more than 3.5 percent higher late Wednesday morning, driven by sharp gains in blue chip tech shares, including Samsung Electronics and SK hynix.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) had jumped 204.27 points, or 3.62 percent, to 5,844.75 as of 11:20 a.m.

Overnight, major U.S. indexes closed slightly higher amid a cautious mode among investors created by continuing uncertainties surrounding the Middle East and the upcoming rate-setting meeting by the U.S. Federal Reserve.

In Seoul, most top-cap shares were bullish.

Tech behemoth Samsung Electronics surged 5.47 percent, and its chipmaking rival SK hynix soared 4.02 percent.

The two companies were at the center of attention at U.S. chip giant Nvidia's annual tech conference held Tuesday, which boosted expectations for continued growth of the artificial intelligence (AI) sector.

Auto giant Hyundai Motor climbed 2.97 percent, and its sister Kia advanced 3.71 percent. Hyundai Motor's auto parts-making affiliate, Hyundai Mobis, increased 3.64 percent.

AI investment firm SK Square shot up 6.13 percent, while power plant manufacturer Doosan Enerbility expanded 2.78 percent.

Trading firm Samsung C&T escalated 7.51 percent, and Samsung Life Insurance skyrocketed 11.98 percent.

Financial shares were also strong, with KB Financial up 2.39 percent and Shinhan Financial rising 2.52 percent.

Major defense firm Hanwha Aerospace was among the few decliners, losing 1.07 percent.

The Korean won was trading at 1,486.8 won against the U.S. dollar at 11:20 a.m., up 6.8 won from the previous session.

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