SEOUL — South Korea's benchmark KOSPI index held above the psychologically significant 7,000 mark for a second consecutive session Tuesday, closing at 7,017.91, up 10.19 points, or 0.15%, as record semiconductor export data continued to underpin one of the strongest stock market rallies anywhere in the world this year.

Tuesday's modest gain followed a sharp advance Monday, when the KOSPI surged 1.65% to close at 7,007.72, reclaiming the 7,000 level for the first time in seven trading sessions. That rally was driven primarily by a jump in Samsung Electronics shares, which climbed 4.98% Monday to trade back above 270,000 won for the first time in ten sessions, after South Korea reported record semiconductor exports for the first three weeks of September.

According to the Korea Customs Service, total exports reached $71.4 billion between September 1 and 20, up 78.3% from the same period a year earlier. Chip exports specifically more than tripled to $34.12 billion, a 259.4% increase that marked a new monthly record for the category. Separate figures tracking memory chip exports specifically showed an even sharper jump, surging 350.7% from a year earlier over the same three-week window, reaffirming the strength of underlying demand from global customers building out artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Institutional investors led the buying that drove Monday's........

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