The weeks-long rally that began at the start of the new year has lifted South Korea's stock market to a valuation of $3.25 trillion, surpassing Germany's $3.22 trillion and making it the world's 10th-largest stock market, just behind Taiwan, according to Bloomberg's compiled data.
Wednesday's rally was led by semiconductor-related shares. Shares of SK hynix closed up 5.13 percent at 841,000 won, buoyed by the chipmaker's fourth-quarter earnings that showed operating profit surged 137.2 percent to 19.17 trillion won on strong chip demand.
Samsung Electronics closed up 1.82 percent at 162,400 won, Samsung Biologics rose 0.06 percent to 1,791,000 won, Samsung Life Insurance gained 2.73 percent to 192,200 won, and LG Energy Solution jumped 5.51 percent to 431,000 won.
Defense and aerospace stocks also traded higher, with Hanwha Aerospace rising 4.72 percent to 1,288,000 won.
But shipbuilding-related shares were mixed, with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries falling 0.34 percent to 586,000 won, while Hanwha Ocean rose 2.06 percent to 143,400 won.
Auto-related stocks also traded mixed, with Hyundai Motor closing up 0.82 percent at 492,500 won, while its affiliate Kia fell 2.48 percent to 149,700 won.
Individual investors snapped up a net 1.213 trillion won, while foreign investors and institutions sold a net 13.52 billion won and 1.0397 trillion won, respectively.
Individual investors snapped up a net 1.213 trillion won, while foreign and institutional investors offloaded a net 13.52 billion won and 1.0397 trillion won, respectively.
The won strengthened sharply against the dollar, trading around 1,420 per dollar, its strongest level in weeks.
Elsewhere in Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 0.05 percent to 53,358.71 and China's Shanghai Composite gained 0.27 percent to 4,151.24.
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