History of KOSPI in Timeline

The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) is the main index tracking all common stocks traded on the Korea Exchange's Stock Market Division, formerly the Korea Stock Exchange. Serving as South Korea's representative stock market index, it's similar to the S&P 500 in the United States, reflecting the overall performance of the South Korean stock market.

January 1980: Base value of 100

In January 1980, KOSPI's base value was set to 100.

January 1980: Base market capitalization

The KOSPI is calculated as current market capitalization divided by base market capitalization as of 4 January 1980.

1981: Annual development of the KOSPI

Starting in 1981, the following table shows the annual development of the KOSPI.

1983: KOSPI replaces KCSPI

In 1983, KOSPI was introduced, replacing the Dow-style KCSPI (Korea Composite Stock Price Index).

1983: KOSPI introduction

In 1983, the KOSPI was introduced.

April 1989: Peaking above 1,000

In April 1989, KOSPI peaked above 1,000.

January 1990: Base value of KOSPI 200

On 3 January 1990, the base value of 100 was set for the KOSPI 200 index.

November 1994: Peaking above 1,000

In November 1994, KOSPI peaked above 1,000.

June 1998: All-time low

On 16 June 1998, the KOSPI reached its all-time low of 31.96 during the financial crisis.

June 1998: Largest one-day percentage gain

On 17 June 1998, KOSPI recorded its largest one-day percentage gain of 8.50% (23.81 points), recovering from the bottom of the Asian financial crisis.

January 2000: Peaking above 1,000

In January 2000, KOSPI peaked above 1,000.

September 2001: Largest one-day percentage drop

On 12 September 2001, KOSPI had its largest one-day percentage drop of 12.02% (64.97 points) just after 9/11.

February 2005: KOSPI closes at 1,011.36

On 28 February 2005, KOSPI closed at 1,011.36, then plunged to 902.88 in April. However, unlike previous bull traps, it kept moving upward, breaking the long-standing 1,000-point resistance level.

November 2005: Korean name change

In November 2005, the index's Korean name was officially changed to Koseupi jisu (코스피지수).

April 2007: Closed above 200 for the first time

On 24 April 2007, KOSPI closed above 200 for the first time.

July 2007: KOSPI breaks 2,000 level

On 24 July 2007, KOSPI broke 2,000 level for the first time. On 25 July it closed at 2,004.22.

August 2007: Largest one-day point gain

On 20 August 2007, the index recovered 93.20 (5.69%), its largest one-day point gain, after the U.S. Federal Reserve lowered the discount rate.

2007: Daily volume

As of 2007, KOSPI's daily volume reached hundreds of millions of shares, valued at trillions of won.

October 2008: Index drop

On 16 October 2008, the index dropped 126.50 (9.44%), after the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 7.87%.

2018: Record broken in November 2020

In 2018, a record was set, which was broken for the first time on November 23, 2020 at 2,602.59 points.

February 24, 2020: Index drops during COVID-19 pandemic

Starting from February 24, 2020, the index dropped continuously during the COVID-19 pandemic. As of March 15, the KOSPI closed at 1,771.44, prompting the Financial Supervisory Commission to impose a six-month ban on short-selling.

November 2020: Index breaks record set in 2018

On 23 November 2020, the index broke the record set in 2018 for the first time at 2,602.59 points, after the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 plunged the KOSPI to a low in March.