Korean stocks surge on easing oil prices

Mar 17, 2026, 10:12 am

		0
A dealer works in the dealing room at Hana Bank headquarters in central Seoul on March 17. / Courtesy of Yonhap News

South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI index surged nearly 3% at the opening on Tuesday, reclaiming the 5,700 level as investor sentiment improved following a drop in global oil prices.

According to the Korea Exchange, the KOSPI was trading at 5,698.47 as of 9:30 a.m., up 150.54 points, or 2.71%, from the previous session. The index opened sharply higher at 5,711.80, marking a 2.92% gain.

Retail investors led the rally with net purchases of 81.9 billion won, while foreign and institutional investors posted net sales of 45.8 billion won and 26.7 billion won, respectively.

Most of the top 10 stocks by market capitalization were trading higher in early sessions. Samsung Electronics rose 3.87%, SK Hynix gained 2.26%, Hyundai Motor jumped 5.53%, and Kia advanced 3.95%. Other gainers included LG Energy Solution, SK Square and Samsung Biologics. In contrast, Hanwha Aerospace declined 4.13%.

The tech-heavy KOSDAQ index also moved higher, rising 1.20% to 1,151.90. It opened at 1,156.83, up 1.63%.

All of the top 10 KOSDAQ stocks posted gains, including EcoPro, Alteogen, EcoPro BM, Samchundang Pharm, Rainbow Robotics and ABL Bio.

Meanwhile, the Korean won weakened slightly against the U.S. dollar. As of 9:30 a.m., the won-dollar exchange rate stood at 1,493.10 won, up 1.6 won, or 0.11%, from the previous session.

#KOSPI #KOSDAQ #oil prices #stock market #Samsung Electronics