The KOSPI fell 3.26% in a steep selloff led by Korea's semiconductor sector, with chip shares dropping at close to twice the pace of the broader index, according to market data reviewed for this report. The losses were concentrated in the sector that anchors the benchmark, where Samsung Electronics and SK hynix stand as the heavyweight listings.
The day's damage was not evenly spread. Semiconductor stocks โ the sector at the center of Korea's AI and memory business โ fell at nearly double the index's rate, meaning the chip complex did not merely ride a broad market slide but drove it. With Samsung Electronics and SK hynix carrying the largest weightings on the exchange, weakness in the sector transmits directly to the benchmark, turning a market-wide retreat into a disproportionately painful session for chip-focused investors.
A review of six primary sources, none of them inaccessible, confirmed the two core elements of the claim: the index's 3.26% drop and the outsized losses in semiconductor stocks, which declined at roughly twice the market's pace. The figures are consistent across the sources consulted, with no conflicting data found. The claim that the KOSPI plunged 3.26% while semiconductor shares absorbed a direct hit is True.