KOSPI Breaks 5,000 as Samsung, SK Hynix Jump and Trump’s Greenland Retreat Eases Jitters
South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI topped 5,000 points for the first time on Thursday, rising as much as 2.2% to 5,019.54. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix led the move, while Hyundai Motor traded at a record. “The bullish market trend this time is a fundamentals-driven one based on earnings growth,” said Kim Jae-seung, an analyst at Hyundai Motor Securities. The index is up about 19% so far this month after a 76% jump in 2025 — its biggest annual gain since 1999 — and the run has become a political and market marker for President Lee Jae Myung’s “KOSPI 5,000” pledge. Lee has pushed tax and market measures aimed at narrowing the “Korea discount”, the tendency for local stocks to trade at lower valuations than overseas peers, often blamed on weak governance and low dividends.