South Korean shares hit record high as automakers rally on AI hopes

Jan 19, 2026, 14:04 GMT+7
Key points:

• KOSPI rises, foreigners net buyers
• Korean won strengthens against dollar
• South Korea benchmark bond yield rises

Reuters - Round-up of South Korean financial markets:
** South Korean shares rose more than 1% to a record high on Monday, led by a rally in automakers on optimism around artificial intelligence and robot technologies.
** The benchmark KOSPIended the session up 63.92 points, or 1.32%, at 4,904.66, marking its highest closing level on record and extending gains to a 12th straight session.
** Hyundai Motorjumped 16.22% to an all-time high and logged its steepest daily rise since January 2021, while sister automaker Kia Corpgained 12.18%.
** "Automakers and LG Electronics rose on hopes of 'physical AI' technologies," said Lee Kyoung-min, an analyst at Daishin Securities.
** Home appliance maker LG Electronicsclimbed 8.64%.
** HYBE surged 8.92% to its highest since December 2021 after the K-Pop agency unveiled world tour plans for boy band BTS.
** Of the total 929 traded issues, 398 shares advanced, while 489 declined.
** Foreigners were net buyers of shares worth 552.3 billion won ($374.82 million).
** The won was quoted at 1,473.7 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform, 0.01% higher than its previous close at 1,473.9.
** In money and debt markets, March futures on three-year treasury bonds lost 0.12 point to 104.97.
** The most liquid three-year Korean treasury bond yieldrose by 4.1 basis points to 3.116%, while the benchmark 10-year yieldrose by 7.4 bps to 3.560%.
($1 = 1,473.5200 won)

Sumber : Reuters