Up 75% Already in 2026, Korea’s Stock Market Is Hotter Than Ever
Currency dealers celebrating South Korea's benchmark stock index breaking 7,000 points at the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul on May 6.
Photographer: Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty ImagesSouth Korean stocks are on the cusp of surpassing last year’s world-beating 76% gain, even though 2026 is less than five months old.
The benchmark Kospi surged 6.5% Wednesday to bring this year’s advance to 75%, its eighth daily gain of more than 5% this year, compared with just one such rally in 2025. Overseas investors bought more than $2 billion of Kospi shares for the day, just a fraction below the record seen in October.