The KOSPI fell below the 3,400 mark for the first time in 10 trading days.
As of 11:03 a.m. on the 26th, the KOSPI stood at 3,396.77. It fell 74.34 points (2.14%) from the previous day.
At the same time, the KOSDAQ was down 13.72 points (1.16%) at 838.76. It is also the first time in 10 trading days that the KOSDAQ has fallen below the 840 level intraday.
Foreign investors and institutions turned to "sell" across both the KOSPI and KOSDAQ markets. Profit-taking ahead of a long holiday appears to have added to the sell orders. Only individual investors are net buyers.
Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, the No. 1 and No. 2 by market capitalization that had driven the recent KOSPI gains, are showing stock declines in the 2% and 4% range, respectively. Most other top market-cap stocks, including LG Energy Solution, Samsung Biologics, Hanwha Aerospace, and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, are also weak.
On the KOSDAQ market, shares such as Alteogen, ECOPRO BM, Ecopro, and Peptron are trading at lower prices than the previous day. Rainbow Robotics and PharmaResearch are on the rise.
With U.S. stocks in New York falling for a third straight session overnight, the domestic market also opened lower from early trading. Investor sentiment was further chilled as U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out additional tariff measures, including imposing a 100% tariff on pharmaceuticals.
The exchange rate also wobbled. The won-dollar rate is above 1,410 won in the Seoul foreign exchange market. This is seen as reflecting the impact of President Trump's insistence on "up front" regarding the $350 billion (about 490 trillion won) in investment funds for the United States.