Seoul shares spike for fifth straight day on chip rally

South Korean shares surged for a fifth consecutive session on August 14, 2026, driven by a rally in technology and semiconductor stocks. The benchmark KOSPI index rose 2.42% to close at 6,977.94, supported by gains in market heavyweights Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. This upward momentum followed overnight gains on Wall Street, where the Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.81%. Meanwhile, the South Korean won strengthened against the U.S. dollar, closing at 1,418.3 won.

Seoul stock market rally

• ▪South Korean shares ended sharply higher for the fifth consecutive session on August 14, 2026, driven by investor purchases of major semiconductor stocks.
• ▪The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 164.60 points, or 2.42 percent, to close at 6,977.94 on August 14, 2026.

Semiconductor sector performance

• ▪Samsung Electronics shares rose 2.4 percent to close at 274,500 won on August 14, 2026, amid a broader technology-led market advance in Seoul.
• ▪South Korean chipmaker SK hynix saw its shares gain 3.26 percent to close at 1.65 million won on August 14, 2026.

Wall Street overnight gains

• ▪The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite index climbed 0.81 percent during the overnight trading session preceding August 14, 2026.
• ▪On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.13 percent during the overnight trading session preceding August 14, 2026.

Korean won exchange rate movement

• ▪The South Korean won rose against the United States dollar on August 14, 2026, closing at 1,418.3 won per dollar at 3:30 p.m.
• ▪The South Korean won's value at 3:30 p.m. on August 14, 2026, represented an increase of 1.1 won compared to the close of the previous trading day.