![An electronic board showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index at a dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul on Monday. (Yonhap)]](https://contents-cdn.viewus.co.kr/image/2025/07/CP-2023-0309/30848659.jpg)
Seoul shares closed higher Monday, driven by an extended foreign buying spree amid lingering concerns over U.S. tariff measures. The Korean won strengthened against the U.S. dollar.
Trading was relatively light, with 341.3 million shares worth 10.6 trillion KRW (7.6 billion USD) changing hands. Decliners outnumbered advancers 489 to 390.
Foreign investors scooped up 893.4 billion KRW (670.05 million USD) worth of local shares, while institutions acquired 101.3 billion KRW (75.98 million USD). Retail investors, on the other hand, offloaded 1.06 trillion KRW (795 million USD) worth of shares to lock in profits.
Lee Kyoung-min, an analyst at Daishin Securities, noted that foreign investors have maintained their buying streak for eight consecutive sessions, buoyed by positive assessments of the KOSPI from global investment banks.
Wall Street ended mixed on Friday as worries about the Trump administration’s tariff policies offset optimism sparked by robust U.S. retail sales data.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.32 percent, and the S&P 500 edged down 0.01 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite inched up 0.05 percent.
Over the weekend, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick emphasized that August 1 is a firm deadline for Washington’s reciprocal tariffs, putting pressure on major trading partners to swiftly conclude trade negotiations.
In Seoul, tech giant Samsung Electronics rose 1.04 percent to 67,800 KRW (50.85 USD), while its chipmaking rival SK Hynix gained 1.3 percent to 272,500 KRW (204.38 USD).
Leading battery maker LG Energy Solution jumped 2.64 percent to 331,000 KRW (248.25 USD), and defense powerhouse Hanwha Aerospace advanced 2.57 percent to 919,000 KRW (689.25 USD).
Major power plant manufacturer Doosan Enerbility surged 5.56 percent to 68,400 KRW (51.30 USD), and steel giant Posco Holdings climbed 5.14 percent to 327,000 KRW (245.25 USD).
Leading shipbuilders Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries saw gains of 4.98 percent and 4.81 percent, closing at 84,400 KRW (63.30 USD) and 425,000 KRW (318.75 USD), respectively.
Renewable energy firm Hanwha Solution soared 7.37 percent to 37,900 KRW (28.43 USD) on forecasts that the company will turn profitable in the second quarter.
However, top automaker Hyundai Motor dipped 0.71 percent to 209,000 KRW (156.75 USD), and Naver, South Korea’s largest internet portal operator, declined 0.83 percent to 240,000 KRW (180.00 USD).
The Korean won strengthened against the U.S. dollar, trading at 1,388.2 won per dollar as of 3:30 p.m., up 4.8 won from the previous session’s close. (Yonhap)
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