Odaily Planet Daily report: South Korea’s KOSPI index plunged more than 4.5%, falling into the 6,200-point range. Amid weak overnight performance by U.S. tech stocks on Wall Street, foreign and institutional investors simultaneously sold off, exerting significant downward pressure on the index. On the day, the KOSPI closed at 6,296.38 points, down 301.88 points, or 4.58%, from the previous trading session. Foreign investors consistently net-sold from the open, with a total net selling volume of ₩397.81 billion. Institutional investors also net-sold ₩235.7 billion. Retail investors, by contrast, net-bought ₩410.62 billion, absorbing some of the selling pressure—but not enough to halt the index’s decline. Semiconductor stocks were directly impacted.
Samsung Electronics fell 6.30% compared to the previous trading day, while SK Hynix dropped 10.37%. In contrast, major secondary battery companies showed relative resilience: LG Energy Solution rose 2.83% to close at 345,000 KRW, and POSCO Holdings increased 0.63% to close at 319,000 KRW. (Kim10)