The KOSPI edged lower Thursday amid a surge in international oil prices triggered by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, but managed to close above the 7,000 mark. The benchmark index closed at 7,033.92, down 0.25 percent from the previous session. The index opened 0.18 percent lower and rose as high as 7,072.79 before falling to 6,898.45. It then fluctuated around the 7,000 level as institutional selling pressure eased. Foreign investors sold a net 2.48 trillion won ($1.85 billion) worth of shares, while retail and institutional investors bought a net 380 billion won and 433.5 billion won, respectively. SK hynix fell 0.16 percent to close at 1.853 million won, while Samsung Electronics lost 0.19 percent to finish at 269,000 won. The secondary Kosdaq, meanwhile, rose 0.79 percent to close at 836.92. Despite strength in U.S. semiconductor shares after Meta unveiled its agentic AI, Muse, external risks continued to weigh on the stock market. With little prospect of negotiations between Iran and the U.S. resuming in the near term, international oil prices continued to rise. West Texas I