[DigitalToday reporter Sangyeob Oh (오상엽)] South Korea's KOSPI on Tuesday rose above the 7,000 mark for the first time. As the index surged, the market value of the Korea Composite Stock Price Index market also topped 6,000 trillion won for the first time.

The Korea Exchange said the combined market value of KOSPI-listed stocks stood at 6,014.3 trillion won as of 9:56 a.m. It was the first time the KOSPI market cap exceeded 6,000 trillion won. It added 1,000 trillion won in about three months after first topping 5,000 trillion won on Feb. 3.

Including the Kosdaq market, the total market value of South Korean equities swelled to about 6,684.8 trillion won.

The KOSPI opened up 156.02 points, or 2.25 percent, at 7,093.01 from the previous session's close. It moved above 7,000 immediately after the open and extended gains in early trading to set another record high.

Large semiconductor stocks led the rise. At the same time, Samsung Electronics rose 12.26 percent to break above 260,000 won for the first time. SK Hynix gained 9.88 percent to 1,590,000 won, close to the 1,600,000-won level.

SK Group shares also rose. As the value of SK Hynix's stake drew attention, SK Square climbed above 1,000,000 won a share in early trading. SK Square was up 11.40 percent at 1,104,000 won as of 9:14 a.m. and rose as high as 1,149,000 won, joining the ranks of so-called 'imperial' stocks.

Based on the previous day's close, there were 9 'imperial' stocks in South Korea's market. Hyosung Heavy Industries, Samsung Biologics, Korea Zinc, Samyang Foods, Doosan, Hanwha Aerospace, SK Hynix, HD Hyundai Electric and Taekwang Industrial were all above 1,000,000 won a share. As SK Square moved above 1,000,000 won, the number of 'imperial' stocks rose to at least 10 on an intraday basis.

SK Square is an intermediate holding company within SK Group that holds a stake in SK Hynix. Its share price is seen reflecting rising enterprise value at SK Hynix and expectations for stronger shareholder returns.

Its market-cap ranking also jumped. SK Square's market value swelled to about 145 trillion won intraday, placing it among the top ranks on the main board. Including Samsung Electronics preferred shares, it is assessed as fourth by KOSPI market cap, and around third on a common-share basis behind Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.

Market value for group-affiliated stocks also rose rapidly. FnGuide said the combined market value of listed companies belonging to the top 10 conglomerates stood at 3,832.6 trillion won as of April 30, up 1,517.5 trillion won from 2,315.2 trillion won at the end of last year.

SK Group posted the biggest increase. The market value of SK Group's listed companies rose to 1,139.8 trillion won as of April 30 from 601.0 trillion won at the end of last year, up 538.7 trillion won. The increase rate was 89.6 percent.

SK Hynix market value rose 93 percent over the period to 916.5 trillion won from 473.9 trillion won, leading the group's overall increase in market cap.

Samsung Group market value also rose over the period to 1,684.1 trillion won from 1,002.5 trillion won, up 681.6 trillion won. The increase rate was 68 percent. Much of the rise was driven by an increase of about 580 trillion won in Samsung Electronics market value.

Expanding AI investment and expectations for demand for high bandwidth memory (HBM) are seen concentrating in top market-cap stocks such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, lifting both the index and market value at the same time.