20.02.202601:54:45UTC+00South Korean Shares Extend Rally to Fresh Record

South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI advanced more than 1% to around 5,750 on Friday, extending its record-setting rally as gains in industrial and defense names outweighed mild profit-taking in leading semiconductor stocks.

In the industrial and defense sector, Doosan Enerbility surged 6.7% and Hanwha Aerospace climbed 6.8%. Shipbuilders also strengthened, with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries up 2.3% and Hanwha Ocean rising 2.9%, supported by optimism over deeper US–South Korea cooperation aimed at rebuilding shipbuilding capacity.

Financials were broadly firmer as well, with KB Financial Group gaining 1.5% and Shinhan Financial Group advancing 1.7%.

By contrast, semiconductor bellwethers Samsung Electronics (-0.3%) and SK hynix (-0.5%) edged lower but remained near record highs, as investors locked in some gains following their recent rally.

The positive sentiment in Seoul came despite weakness on Wall Street, where rising tensions between Washington and Tehran pushed oil prices higher and dampened risk appetite.