The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index(KOSPI) broke the five-thousand mark for the first time shortly after the market opened on Thursday.

The main bourse opened up 77-point-13 points, or one-point-57 percent, at four-thousand-987-point-06, before extending its gains.

At 9:01 a.m., the KOSPI stood at five-thousand-two-point-14, up 92-point-21 points, or one-point-88 percent, from the previous session.

With the advance, the South Korean stock market has entered the era of five-thousand KOSPI, a level investors have long regarded as a dream.

The milestone came about three months after the KOSPI first surpassed four-thousand on October 27 of last year.

As of 9:17 a.m., the KOSPI was trading at four thousand-991-point-25, up one-point-66 percent from Wednesday.