South Korean stocks opened at a new high on Tuesday, crossing the 8,800 threshold, largely buoyed by overnight gains on Wall Street and continued investor optimism toward AI-related stocks.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index, or Kospi, rose 1.07%, or 94.81 points, to open at 8,883.19. The Kosdaq decreased 0.5%, or 5.13 points, to open at 1,044.89.
In addition, investors also had an optimistic outlook on a possible truce in the U.S.-Iran war ahead after U.S. President Donald Trump told ABC News on Monday that an agreement with Iran may come through "over the next week."
South Korea's equity market surpassed India to become the world's sixth-largest stock market, Bloomberg News reported Tuesday.
The total market capitalization of South Korea-listed firms jumped 86% so far in 2026 to $5 trillion, while the Indian stock market's total capitalization has decreased to $4.8 trillion, the report said.