Seoul: The total market capitalization of companies listed on South Korea's local stock market surpassed 6,000 trillion won (US$4.08 trillion) for the first time on Monday. This milestone was driven by anticipation in the semiconductor sector, as indicated by industry data.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the combined market capitalization of companies listed on the country's three stock bourses reached 6,047.9 trillion won early Monday morning. This data was provided by the Korea Exchange (KRX), which is South Korea's primary bourse operator. The stock markets involved include the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), the secondary KOSDAQ, and the KONEX market for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Since the beginning of April, South Korea's major stock indices have been on an upward trend, spurred by optimism regarding the nation's leading chipmaking companies. The KOSPI index increased by over 28 percent from April 1 to the previous Friday, while the KOSDAQ index saw a rise of 14.4 percent during the same timeframe, as reported by Yonhap Infomax, the financial division of Yonhap News Agency.

Earlier this month, South Korea's prominent semiconductor companies, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, reported record earnings for the first quarter. These results were driven by strong demand for semiconductors in the midst of a global surge in artificial intelligence applications.