-- South Korean shares closed at a new high on Thursday, just shying away from touching the 6,500 level, as investor optimism rose after the US and Iran extended their ceasefire indefinitely. In addition, SK Hynix's (KRX:000660) stellar first-quarter earnings also buoyed sentiment.
The Korea Composite Stock Price Index or Kospi rose 57.88 points, or 0.9%, to end at 6,475.81. The Kosdaq, however, decreased by 6.81 points, or 0.6%, to close at 1,174.31.
Technology stocks such as Samsung Electronics (KRX:005930) and LG Corporation (KRX:003550) also drove gains, as investors focused on their upcoming first-quarter earnings releases. Shares of Samsung Electronics added over 3% while those of LG Corp. added nearly 2% at market close.
In economic news, South Korea's real gross domestic product increased 3.6% in the first quarter of 2026 from the same period last year, following a 1.6% annual expansion in the prior quarter, an advance estimate by the Bank of Korea indicated on Thursday.
According to a median forecast of economists polled by Reuters, the country's real GDP was expected to grow 2.7%.
On a quarterly basis, the economy grew by 1.7% in Q1, which also surpassed the Reuters estimate of 1%.
Meanwhile, gross domestic income increased 12.3% on an on-year basis and 7.5% on an on-quarter basis in Q1
In corporate news, Tovis (KOSDAQ:051360) posted first-quarter net income attributable to shareholders of 16.05 billion won, up 77% from 9.07 billion won a year earlier, according to a Thursday filing with the Korea Exchange.
The South Korean display models manufacturer's sales jumped 10.4% year over year to 169.8 billion won from 153.8 billion won.
Shares of Tovis rose more than 4% at market close.