The KOSPI index rose 2.23%, or 156.21 points, to 7,163.93 by 9:06 a.m. on the 22nd, breaking above 7,100 as AI-related stocks drove the Nasdaq Composite Index to a record close overnight. Nine of the Korea Exchange’s 10 largest market-cap-weighted stocks advanced, led by gains of around 2% in Samsung Electronics and 3% in SK Hynix. The KOSDAQ, South Korea’s technology-focused secondary stock market, added 0.98% to 844.44. All of its leading market-cap-weighted stocks rose. The move followed gains across all three major U.S. indexes, with the Nasdaq up 2.3% to 27,122.09, helped by positive feedback for Meta’s personal AI agent Muse, as well as advances in AMD, Intel and Qualcomm. International oil prices declined sharply, with October WTI falling 4.5% to $95.78 a barrel and November Brent dropping 3.4% to $100.34.