On Friday, the first trading day of 2026, the KOSPI climbed above 4,300 points, building on the momentum that lifted the benchmark past the 4,000 points mark for the first time last year. After opening higher, the index continued to gain ground and closed at 4,309.63, up 95.46 points, or 2.27 percent, from the previous session, marking its highest closing on record. The local stock market opened an hour later than usual at 10 a.m. due to an opening ceremony held earlier in the day, while the closing time remained unchanged at 3:30 p.m. Major semiconductor stocks drove the gains, with Samsung Electronics surging 7.17 percent to close at 128,500 won ($89) and SK hynix rising 3.99 percent to finish at 677,000 won. The index’s record-setting performance was further bolstered by strong export figures released during the New Year’s Day holiday. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, outbound shipments in December totaled $69.6 billion, up 13.4 percent from a year earlier and marking the highest December figure on record. The growth rate significantly exceeded the consensus