Seoul’s benchmark closed about 6% lower after an earlier circuit-breaker halt when the index plunged through 5,000 on AI-chip selling.
MoneyTurkey Foreign Markets Desk | 6 November 2026
Key points
- KOSPI last 5,059.69, down 6.02% from 5,383.80 (Yahoo Finance), after tripping a circuit breaker in the opening hour when it fell more than 8% through 5,000.
- Samsung Electronics last down about 6.4% and SK Hynix about 10.4%; both led the earlier AI-chip sell-off that forced the trading halt.
South Korea’s KOSPI finished the Friday session around 5,059.69, down 6.02% on the day, after authorities halted trading earlier when the index fell through the 5,000 line. MoneyTurkey’s Asia-open coverage recorded the first-level circuit breaker at 09:03 Seoul time with the index then near 4,930.54 (−8.42%). Chip heavyweights led both the plunge and the partial rebound into the close.
What happened
Local coverage from KBS 뉴스 and English wires including Reuters described an automatic circuit breaker after a sharp intraday drop concentrated in AI-related semiconductor names. Our earlier Asia-open report, drawing on Yonhap and the Korea JoongAng Daily, timed the first-level halt at 09:03 Seoul (00:03 London) after a drop of more than 8% from Thursday’s close, with trading later resumed via a single-price auction.
By the London late morning check, Yahoo Finance showed KOSPI at 5,059.69 versus a previous close of 5,383.80 (−6.02%). Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) was about 6.4% lower and SK Hynix (000660.KS) about 10.4% lower on the same delayed quotes — still heavy losses, but off the steeper opening prints (Samsung about −8.7%, SK Hynix about −11.2% in that Asia-open snapshot).
Why markets care
A circuit-breaker print on the KOSPI flags extreme intraday volatility in Asia’s chip complex and often coincides with faster foreign selling in Korean equities and the won. Into the close, the index had clawed back roughly two percentage points from the opening trough, but the session still left Samsung, SK Hynix and the broader tech book sharply lower. KTB yields and USD/KRW remain the near-term tell for whether the risk-off impulse persists into the next Seoul session.
Local context
KBS 뉴스 covered the halt in Korean and tied the drop to AI-related semiconductor selling. English-language accounts from Reuters, BigGo Finance, TradingView and Firstpost likewise pointed to a broader Asia tech sell-off after US midterm results weighed on AI and chip sentiment, with Japan and Taiwan also under pressure in early trade.
What to watch
- KOSPI and KOSDAQ open on the next Seoul session
- Foreign net flows in Korean shares and USD/KRW
- Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix follow-through
- Whether KTB 3y/10y yields keep any flight-to-safety unwind
Related on MoneyTurkey
- Asia open: KOSPI halted as Nikkei, Taiwan plunge
- ASX holds above 9,000 as NZX ends lower
- China blocks SoftBank ABB robotics deal
For information only. Not investment advice.
Sources
- Yahoo Finance quotes: KOSPI, Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix
- MoneyTurkey Asia open (figures LOCK at open): KOSPI halted as Nikkei, Taiwan plunge
- Yonhap / Korea JoongAng Daily via that Asia-open report (circuit breaker 09:03 Seoul)
- KBS 뉴스; Reuters; BigGo Finance; TradingView; Firstpost (English corroboration of AI-chip sell-off)
