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(LEAD) Seoul shares end higher on tech gains amid eased Mideast tensions

South Korean stocks closed nearly 1% higher on Monday, driven by a US pause in strikes on Iran that eased Middle East tensions, a drop in oil prices, and a $950 billion tech cooperation agreement between South Korean and US companies.

By Tertius News AI Desk 1 outlet · 5 articles Version 1 Coverage Jul 27, 2026 Published Aug 14

South Korean Stocks Rally as US-Iran Tensions Ease; Tech Sector Leads Gains

South Korean stocks finished higher on Monday, rebounding from a sharp drop last week, as investors responded to a weekend pause in US military strikes on Iran and a series of major technology cooperation agreements between South Korean and American companies.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 65.13 points, or 0.97 percent, to close at 6,755.75, recovering from a 5.72 percent decline on Friday, according to Yonhap News. Trade volume was slim at 270.9 million shares worth 23.5 trillion won (US$16 billion), with gainers beating decliners 494 to 372.

Coverage Comparison

Multiple reports from Yonhap News tracked the market's upward trajectory. One report noted that the KOSPI opened 1.73 percent higher, adding 115.65 points to 6,806.27 at the opening bell, before narrowing gains to 0.68 percent (45.47 points) by 9:15 a.m. A later report confirmed the index closed at 6,755.75, up 0.97 percent, after choppy trading. Individuals and institutions led the gains, scooping up a net 1.98 trillion won and 862.4 billion won worth of shares, respectively, while foreign investors sold a net 2.89 trillion won.

Key Claims

US pause on strikes: The United States paused its attacks on Iran since Friday, after 13 days of air strikes, raising hopes of a diplomatic solution to the nearly five-month war. Iran also stopped conducting counterattacks and held talks with Oman over the Strait of Hormuz, as reported by Yonhap.
Oil price decline: Oil prices fell as military tensions eased. Brent crude futures dropped 5.7 percent to US$91 per barrel in one report, while another report cited a 4.7 percent decline to $92.27 a barrel. West Texas Intermediate slipped 5.5 percent to $84.89 after briefly hitting $100 per barrel last week.
Tech cooperation worth $950 billion: Over the weekend, South Korean and US tech companies agreed to pursue cooperation projects worth a combined $950 billion during an artificial intelligence summit hosted by the South Korean government in San Francisco, according to Yonhap. The projects include a long-term deal under which SK Group will supply $750 billion worth of high-performance semiconductors to Nvidia and others.
Corporate and currency movements: Market bellwether Samsung Electronics rose 1.6 percent, and SK hynix increased 0.06 percent. Hyundai Motor climbed 0.25 percent, while Kia dropped 1.69 percent. Naver surged 12.29 percent after announcing Nvidia's $1 billion investment as part of their partnership to build a new data center. The Korean won was quoted at 1,468.5 won against the US dollar in one report, while another said 1,459.3 won, up 0.6 won from the previous session.
Bond market: Bond prices closed higher, with the yield on three-year Treasurys falling 9.4 basis points to 3.865 percent, as reported by Yonhap.
China's ChangXin Memory Technologies: Analysts noted that China's ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT)'s successful market debut on the Shanghai bourse also affected investor sentiment, according to Yonhap. CXMT is the fourth-largest memory chipmaker in the world, following Samsung Electronics, SK hynix, and Micron Technology.

Perspectives

No distinct viewpoints from named parties other than the reporting from Yonhap News were present in the provided material.