South Korea\'s KOSPI jumped nearly 5 percent early on May 11, hit another record and closed at an all-time high above 7,800, led by gains in semiconductor heavyweights. The Korea Exchange triggered a buy sidecar after KOSPI200 futures rose more than 5 percent. Individuals and institutions were net buyers, while foreigners sold. Export data showed strong growth, driven by semiconductor shipments.

South Korea\'s KOSPI index crossed 7,000 for the first time, driven by semiconductor gains, expanded AI infrastructure investment, foreign inflows, retail ETF demand and capital market reforms. The index hit an intraday high of 7,426.60 before closing at 7,384.56 on May 6. Market capitalisation rose to a record 6.06 quadrillion won. Analysts flagged rising concentration in large caps, overheating signals, growing margin debt and external risks such as oil, rates and geopolitics.