SEOUL, January 19 (AJP) — Asian stock markets opened the week on a weaker footing amid rising geopolitical uncertainty, as tensions flared between the European Union and the United States over Greenland. South Korean stocks, however, moved against the regional trend, buoyed by strong gains in robotics-related shares.
The benchmark KOSPI opened at 4,829.40, down 0.23 percent from the previous close, but quickly reversed course. As of 11:10 a.m., the index was up 0.9 percent at 4,883.72. The tech-heavy KOSDAQ rose 0.7 percent to 961.3.
Retail investors drove the rebound, posting net purchases of 56.6 billion won ($192 million). Institutions and foreign investors remained net sellers, offloading 13 billion won and 118 billion won, respectively.
Among blue chips, Samsung Electronics rose 300 won to 149,100 won, while SK hynix gained 16,500 won to 772,500 won. Decliners included Samsung Life Insurance, down 4.10 percent to 163,600 won; LG Energy Solution, down 1.41 percent to 385,500 won; and Samsung Biologics, down 1.39 percent to 1,920,000 won.
Hyundai Motor surged 12.59 percent to a fresh intraday high of 465,000 won, extending a rally that has lifted the stock more than 40 percent since the start of the year. Analysts attributed the gains to renewed optimism following CES 2026 and a series of upward revisions to target prices, reinforcing expectations for medium- to long-term growth as the automaker accelerates its transition into robotics manufacturing. Investor sentiment has also been supported by Hyundai’s plan to deploy Boston Dynamics’ Atlas robots at its Metaplant America facility in Georgia starting in 2028 and scale production to 30,000 units annually by 2030. Kia advanced 3.51 percent to 156,400 won.
Robot-related shares rallied sharply in morning trade. Doosan Robotics jumped 20.35 percent, or 18,400 won, to 108,800 won, after earlier touching 110,900 won — a fresh 52-week high. The collaborative robot maker’s rally was driven by expectations that expanding orders from North America and Europe will translate into stronger earnings.
Defense and aerospace stocks also traded higher, with Hanwha Aerospace gaining 2.31 percent to 1,329,000 won. Shipbuilding and heavy industry shares showed solid momentum, as HD Hyundai Heavy Industries rose 2.09 percent to 635,000 won and Hanwha Ocean added 1.09 percent to 148,600 won.
In currency markets, the dollar was little changed at 1,475.1 won, down 0.4 won. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 retreated 1.25 percent to 53,260.73 in morning trading on profit-taking.
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