Memory chip giant Samsung Electronics gained 0.9 percent, closing at 109,400 won (US$75), and rival SK hynix rose 5.2 percent to 573,000 won.
LG Energy Solution, the third-largest company in terms of market capitalization, climbed 5.6 percent to 450,000 won, apparently buoyed by its announcement of signing a major supply deal with German automaker Mercedes-Benz AG worth 2.06 trillion won ($1.4 billion). The deal, which covers markets including North America and Europe, will run from March 2028 to June 2035.
Despite the overall rise of KOSPI, stocks of major talent mills all declined, with HYBE falling 0.3 percent to 289,000 won, JYP Entertainment 1.2 percent to 67,600 won, SM Entertainment 2.3 percent to 102,000 won, and YG Entertainment 1 percent to 61,500 won.
Notably, eco-friendly battery maker EcoPro's stock hit a new 52-week high during mid-trading, which many speculated was driven by the anticipated move of the tech-heavy KOSDAQ's top-ranked Alteogen to the KOSPI.
This sparked investor interest in the No. 2 and No. 3 stocks — EcoPro BM and EcoPro — as they were expected to become the next leading stocks. EcoPro BM surged 8.5 percent to 173,300 won, while its holding company, EcoPro, jumped 21.3 percent to 117,500 won.
Meanwhile, in Japan, the Nikkei 225 rose 0.2 percent to 50,581.94. Among major Japanese firms, Toyota rose 0.9 percent to 3,060 yen ($20), and Hitachi gained 0.6 percent to 4,911 yen.
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Japan's second-largest company by market value, fell 1.2 percent to 2,498.5 yen. SoftBank dropped 3.3 percent to 18,655 yen, and Sony edged down 0.7 percent to 4,300 yen.
Looking at other major market players, Nintendo fell 1.4 percent to 12,320 yen, Honda rose 0.6 percent to 1,528.5 yen, and Canon gained 1.0 percent, ending at 4,576 yen.
In China, the Shanhai Composite Index gained 0.5 percent to 3,924.08.
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