KOSPI Slides About 2.25% as Samsung and SK Hynix Fall
Key Facts
In a market snapshot near publication time on Monday morning, the KOSPI was down about 2.25% at roughly 6,754. Prices were moving quickly during the session: a nearby reading showed 6,755.99, down 2.23%, making these figures an intraday snapshot rather than a final close.
The losses were initially steeper. The index opened 3.1% lower, traded as low as 6,669.3 and stood at 6,699.2, down 210.7 points, in an earlier morning reading. Its subsequent rebound showed elevated volatility but did not reverse the session's negative direction.
Pressure was concentrated in heavyweight memory shares. At the same morning checkpoint, SK Hynix fell 5.0% to 1,721,000 won and Samsung Electronics dropped 3.0% to 251,750 won, leaving the Korean market more exposed to memory-stock weakness than several other Asian benchmarks.
Investor flows reflected risk reduction by larger market participants. Foreign investors sold a net 1.1297 trillion won of KOSPI shares and institutions sold 290.4 billion won, while individuals bought a net 1.2686 trillion won and absorbed much of the supply.
The chip weakness followed a widening debate over slowing the development of advanced AI models, alongside additional macro pressure. Brent crude remained above $100 a barrel and the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield was near 5%, reinforcing inflation and interest-rate concerns.
An oil shock reaches Korean equities through several channels: a higher energy bill can compress manufacturers' margins, raise transport and consumer prices, and weaken the trade balance of an economy dependent on imported crude and gas. Persistently elevated oil therefore poses a valuation risk even if demand for memory chips remains strong.
Prices for the companies' overseas instruments belong to different markets and sessions. Nasdaq-listed SKHY closed at $190.07 on September 11, 2026, after a daily low of $187.00, while SMSN.L, a Samsung depositary receipt traded in London, closed at $4,938. Those closes should not be presented as evidence of the direction of Monday's Seoul session.