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Markets

Seoul Stocks Open Higher on Chip Gains as Early-September Exports Jump 78%

Seoul shares opened higher Monday, led by chip heavyweights, as customs data showed South Korea’s early-September exports jumped 78 percent on record semiconductor shipments.

AI News Feed · 2026-09-21 10:11

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index opened 44.11 points, or 0.64 percent, higher at 6,938.34. By 9:15 a.m., it had risen 64.09 points, or 0.93 percent, to 6,958.32. On Friday, the KOSPI advanced 2.66 percent as easing inflation concerns lifted investor sentiment.

U.S. semiconductor shares rallied Friday, giving a positive cue to major Korean chipmakers. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index jumped 2.78 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 0.39 percent and the S&P 500 edged up 0.17 percent. Elevated crude oil prices remained a concern amid persistent inflationary and geopolitical risks in the Middle East. Brent crude traded at around US$104.68 a barrel.

Market heavyweights were mixed. Samsung Electronics rose 3.26 percent, and SK hynix gained 0.22 percent. Hyundai Motor fell 0.96 percent, while LG Energy Solution shed 2.75 percent. The Korean won was trading at 1,386.2 won against the U.S. dollar, down 0.7 won from the close of the previous stock trading session.

The customs data, released by the Korea Customs Service, showed outbound shipments reached US$71.4 billion in the Sept. 1-20 period, up from US$40 billion a year earlier. It was the highest volume for the 20-day tally, exceeding the previous record of US$61.7 billion in June this year. Imports rose 26.7 percent on-year to US$48.4 billion, producing a trade surplus of US$23 billion.

By product, chip exports shot up 259 percent to US$34.12 billion. Petroleum product exports rose 47.8 percent to US$4 billion, and car exports gained 9.3 percent to US$3.73 billion. Steel products and ships increased 8 percent and 63 percent, respectively. Exports of mobile devices slipped 0.4 percent to US$1.24 billion.

By destination, exports to China more than doubled to US$16.6 billion, while shipments to the United States surged 118 percent to US$14.2 billion. Accumulated exports through Sunday this year came to US$764.9 billion, with the trade surplus reaching US$225.5 billion.