Key facts
- South Korean stocks closed 2.52% higher on Friday, July 10, 2026.
- The KOSPI index rose 184.03 points to 7,475.94.
- The rally was fueled by strong performance in semiconductor shares.
- U.S. stocks also closed higher overnight, supporting investor sentiment.
- The Korean won strengthened against the U.S. dollar, trading at 1,501.4 won.
South Korean stocks concluded Friday's trading session with significant gains, marking the second consecutive day of advances. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) surged by 184.03 points, or 2.52 percent, to settle at 7,475.94. The market opened over 3 percent higher and reached an intraday peak of 5.7 percent, prompting the activation of a buy-side sidecar trading curb for five minutes. This marks the third instance of this trading halt mechanism being used this week.
Investor confidence was bolstered by positive overnight performance in U.S. markets, particularly a strong rebound in semiconductor stocks, alongside a decrease in oil prices. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced by 0.27 percent, the S&P 500 gained 0.81 percent, and the tech-focused Nasdaq Composite climbed 1.3 percent.
In Seoul, major companies experienced broad gains. Semiconductor giant Samsung Electronics saw its stock price increase by 2.52 percent to 285,000 won. Its competitor, SK hynix, however, experienced a slight decrease of 0.27 percent, closing at 2.18 million won.
The South Korean won also appreciated against the U.S. dollar, trading at 1,501.4 won per dollar at 3:30 p.m., an improvement of 4.7 won from the previous trading session.