World shares have retreated and South Korea's Kospi has given up gains after reaching an all-time high and crossing the 8,000 mark for the first time.

South Korean stocks finished at a record peak of above 7,980 on Thursday, just an inch away from the unprecedented 8,000-point level, as investors closely paid

Seoul's benchmark Kospi quickly reversed course Friday after briefly crossing the historic 8,000 mark, falling below 7,600 as foreign investors deepened profit-