Trump announces a two-week postponement of attacks on Iran! Korean stocks surge nearly 7%, triggering a circuit breaker, Samsung and SK Hynix soar

Geopolitical conditions have taken a dramatic turn for the better. With Pakistan fully mediating, U.S. President Trump announced a two-week suspension of the planned military attack on Iran, and both the U.S. and Iran reached a temporary ceasefire agreement. This good news is like a shot of adrenaline for global markets; U.S. stock index futures surged immediately, with all three major U.S. stock indexes jumping higher in electronic trading. Nasdaq futures soared more than 3%, driving a broad rebound in Asian equities on April 8. Among them, South Korea’s stocks—typically highly sensitive to reactions to external developments—showed astonishing momentum: the KOSPI briefly surged 7.73% intraday, even triggering the upward circuit breaker mechanism.

KOSPI rockets nearly 7%, topping the gainers in Asia

The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) showed strong momentum right from the open. Its intraday high reached 5,919.60 points, up 424.82 points, with a gain of 7.73%. The circuit breaker mechanism was triggered during the session. Although the paper sector among the 19 industry categories closed lower against the trend, it still couldn’t stop the broad rally. At the close, the KOSPI finished at 5,872.34 points, up 377.56 points, or 6.87%, regaining ground it had lost since March 18 and winning the top spot for gains among Asian markets.

Notably, this is the fifth time South Korean stocks in 2026 have activated the circuit breaker or a temporary trading halt mechanism. Unlike the consecutive plunge circuit breakers triggered by the war in the Middle East in early March, this time it was an “overly fierce rally” that triggered an upside circuit breaker—reflecting that market sentiment shifted from extreme panic to wild joy within an extremely short period.

Construction stocks surge 19%, and the two semiconductor giants rise in sync

By sector, benefiting from the ceasefire agreement significantly lowering geopolitical risk and the decline in oil prices, construction stocks and export-oriented technology stocks became the main capital magnets. The construction sector surged 19.38% for the full day, outperforming the rest. Among them, Daewoo E&C and GS Engineering both headed straight for the 30% limit-up boards. Hyundai E&C also led in the top 30 large-cap stocks (KTOP30) with a 21% gain.

The two semiconductor giants also performed strongly. Investors regained confidence as they believed global supply chains would restore stability. Samsung Electronics, the leader in DRAM, skyrocketed 7.12%, while SK Hynix jumped even more, up 12.77%, helping propel the broader market to break higher. Overall electronics shares rose sharply 8.38%, ranking third among the 19 industry categories. A sharp drop in oil prices sent energy-intensive power and natural gas stocks up 8.65%, making them the second-largest hub of buying interest.

Ceasefire lasts only two weeks—markets still closely watch the negotiation details

Analysts believe Trump’s “two-week ceasefire” decision provides a crucial diplomatic buffer for the tense situation in the Middle East, and the market is looking ahead to substantive talks scheduled to begin in Islamabad on April 10. Institutional analysis indicated that today’s strong rebound in Korean stocks is a typical “geopolitical risk premium” correction— as hedging sentiment fades quickly, previously oversold large-cap stocks are showing a retaliatory rebound.

However, because the ceasefire agreement lasts only two weeks, and the 10-point terms proposed by Iran still have clear differences from the U.S. position, the market will continue to closely monitor the negotiation details afterward—especially any consensus on the Strait of Hormuz navigation plan. If the talks break down, South Korean stocks could face another round of sharp volatility.

Crypto markets rebound in tandem as risk appetite quickly returns

As global risk-avoidance sentiment fades, the cryptocurrency market also rebounds alongside traditional assets. Bitcoin rose during Asian trading hours, while Ether showed even stronger performance, reflecting a high degree of linkage between digital assets and traditional risk assets in the current market environment. As one of the world’s most active cryptocurrency trading markets, after investors in South Korea have seen big rebounds in the stock market, whether they will add to digital assets and push the “kimchi premium” to widen again will be an indicator worth watching going forward.

This article, “Trump announces a two-week pause on attacking Iran! Korean stocks surge nearly 7% and trigger a circuit breaker; Samsung and SK Hynix go on a rampage,” first appeared on Chain News ABMedia.