Xinhua
19 Feb 2026, 08:45 GMT+10
SEOUL, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- South Korean stocks continued an upward trend in the first trading session on Thursday after the Lunar New Year holidays.
The benchmark KOSPI jumped 158.60 points, or 2.88 percent, to trade at 5,665.61 as of 11:31 a.m. local time (0231 GMT), surpassing the 5,600 points for the first time.
The smaller KOSDAQ surged 47.26 points, or 4.27 percent, to 1,153.34 during the morning trading.
A buy-side sidecar was issued as the KOSDAQ 150 futures soared over 5 percent.
The sidecar refers to a temporary halt of program trading orders for five minutes that is triggered when the KOSDAQ 150 futures rise or fall by more than 5 percent.
Institutional investors led the KOSPI rally, while the KOSDAQ extended its early gains thanks to purchases by both institutional and foreign investors.
Market bellwether Samsung Electronics and memory chip giant SK Hynix advanced 4.64 percent and 1.99 percent.
The country's top automaker Hyundai Motor added 0.60 percent, and the largest battery maker LG Energy Solution increased 1.52 percent.
The No. 1 biopharmaceutical contract manufacturer Samsung Biologics rose 2.16 percent, and the leading aerospace and defense company Hanwha Aerospace gained 2.99 percent.
The biggest shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries picked up 6.08 percent, and the energy infrastructure leader Doosan Enerbility was up 2.48 percent.
Get a daily dose of Milwaukee Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Milwaukee Sun.
More InformationDHAKA, Bangladesh: After securing an emphatic win for his Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the country's future prime minister, Tarique...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Adding to the list of legal battles challenging U.S. President Donald Trump's effort to stamp his name on public...
BEIJING, China: ByteDance said it would strengthen safeguards on its AI video generator Seedance 2.0 to prevent the unauthorised use...
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Days after Pakistan's Supreme Court ordered a medical evaluation of incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan...
A Life of Purpose Ends Peacefully The news rippled across the nation on a quiet Tuesday morning in February—the Rev. Jesse Louis Jackson...
MALAKOFF, Texas: Numerous social media posts linking a billionaire with ties to Jeffrey Epstein to the photography giant Lifetouch...
DUBLIN, Ohio: Wendy's is accelerating restaurant closures in the United States and doubling down on everyday value offerings after...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: After the White House excluded Democratic governors from a meeting with President Donald Trump later this month,...
(Photo credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images) The Kings have dropped a Sacramento-era record 14 consecutive games as they resume play after...
(Photo credit: David Richard-Imagn Images) The Cleveland Cavaliers carried the longest winning streak in the Eastern Conference into...
(Photo credit: Sarah Kloepping/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images) Green Bay head coach Doug Gottlieb...
(Photo credit: Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images) First-time head coach Mike LaFleur defended his...
