Investing.com — stock fell 7.0% to ₩249,750 on Wednesday as a sweeping selloff in semiconductor shares across Asia sent the South Korean benchmark tumbling more than 6%.
Losses in the KOSPI prompted the Korea Exchange to activate its sell-side sidecar mechanism and temporarily suspend program trading. The sharp decline tracked steep overnight losses in U.S. memory chip peers, with investors broadly retreating from technology exposure amid deteriorating risk appetite.
The semiconductor sector bore the brunt of the selling, with Samsung and rival both experiencing heavy institutional pressure as the market digested the implications of renewed U.S.–Iran tensions.
A sustained standoff in the Strait of Hormuz pushed prices higher, reigniting inflation fears and lifting — a combination that historically pressures high-multiple growth and technology stocks globally.
Adding to the company-specific overhang, reports that the U.S. had asked South Korea to make memory chip manufacturing facilities in America the centerpiece of a planned $350 billion investment package created fresh uncertainty for Korean semiconductor exporters, even as Seoul denied the specifics of those negotiations.
The broader market context amplified the damage. The KOSPI had already ended the prior session down 1.55% at 6,869.83, snapping a six-day winning streak after institutional investors net-sold nearly 785 billion won worth of Korean equities.
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