SEOUL: Round-up of South Korean financial markets:

South Korean shares rose on Wednesday to notch a record close, as chipmaker Samsung Electronics jumped ahead of its first-quarter results on Thursday.

The benchmark KOSPI closed up 49.88 points, or 0.75%, at 6,690.90, its highest closing level on record.

Samsung Electronics rose 1.80% to a record close, Earlier this month, the chipmaker had projected that its quarterly earnings would exceed its entire profit for last year.

Peer SK Hynix fell 0.54%.

South Korean exports likely rose in April for an 11th straight month, with a surge in chip demand driven by artificial intelligence investment more than offsetting a hit from the Middle East conflict, a Reuters poll showed.

"Samsung Electronics extended gains after a report by the Financial Times forecasting an unprecedented 'super-cycle' in memory chips," said Seo Sang-young, an analyst at Mirae Asset Securities.

Among other index heavyweights, battery maker LG Energy Solution climbed 0.21%, while Hyundai Motor and sister automaker Kia Corp were up 0.18% and 0.84%, respectively.

Steelmaker POSCO Holdings added 0.54%, while drugmaker Samsung BioLogics fell 2.06%.