The benchmark KOSPI rose 0.63% to around 5,334 on Wednesday, extending gains for a third consecutive session, supported by strength in the auto and financial sectors. Hyundai Motor (+4.89%) and Kia Corp (+4.07%) led the automaker rally, while KB Financial (+3.60%), Shinhan Financial (+1.94%), and Hana Financial (+3.23%) drove advances in banking. Meanwhile, semiconductor giants recorded losses, with Samsung Electronics down 0.48% and SK Hynix falling 1.37%. Investors weighed a mix of economic releases, initially buoyed by strong early February trade data. South Korea’s exports rose 44.4% year-on-year to $21.39 billion in the first 10 days of the month, providing a boost to market sentiment. However, optimism was tempered by weaker-than-expected January jobs data, which showed employment rising by only 108,000, or 0.4% from a year earlier, the slowest on-year growth in 13 months.
