An electronic trading board at Hana Bank headquarters in central Seoul shows the benchmark KOSPI rising above 4,400 points to close at 4,457.52 points, Monday. Meanwhile, the won held at 1,440 per dollar for a second consecutive session, finishing at 1,443.8 per dollar during the daytime session. Yonhap
Seoul stocks brushed aside the fallout from Saturday’s U.S. attack on Venezuela, with the benchmark KOSPI topping 4,400 points for first time on Monday. The won held at the 1,440 level per dollar as foreign investors net-purchased local stocks.
The U.S. attack centered on the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, prompting concerns over geopolitical tensions, investor preference for safe-haven assets and potential capital outflows from Seoul’s markets.
But the KOSPI shrugged off such worries, closing at 4,457.52 points, up 3.43 percent from Friday’s close and securing back-to-back gains.
Monday’s index was also notable for breaking the unprecedented 4,400-point mark, boosting prospects of reaching 5,000 points this year, following a 75.62 percent gain in 2025. This pace of growth ranks as the third highest in KOSPI’s history.
The won closed at 1443.8 per dollar in the daytime session, weakening from Friday’s 1,441.8 but remaining in the 1,440 range for a second consecutive session.
Both the government and economists expect the economic impact of the U.S. strike on Venezuela to be limited.
“The Korean economy will remain largely unfazed by the incident and its impact on global financial markets,” the Ministry of Economy and Finance said at a joint emergency meeting with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bank of Korea, Financial Services Commission, Financial Supervisory Service and Korea Center for International Finance.
The government added that it will continue to closely monitor developments and trends and respond promptly.
Shin Se-don, professor emeritus of economics at Sookmyung Women’s University, cited Korea’s limited trade ties with Venezuela, saying, “The Korean economy will go on as planned.”
Speaking on condition of anonymity, an economist expressed a similar view, noting that Monday’s KOSPI rally was driven by foreign investors, who net purchased 2.1 trillion won ($1.45 billion) worth of stocks, while retail and institutional investors net sold 1.5 trillion and 702 billion won, respectively.
“Foreigners would not have bought Korean equities, given their preference for safe-haven assets in the wake of the U.S. arrest of the Venezuelan leader,” he said.
Among top market-cap stocks, Samsung Electronics rose 7.47 percent to 138,100 won and SK hynix climbed 2.81 percent to 696,000 won.
Other major stocks also posted gains. LG Energy Solution added 2.91 percent, Samsung Biologics rose 1.78 percent, Hyundai Motor gained 2.01 percent and Doosan Enerbility jumped 10.64 percent.