Shares of Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, the leading semiconductor stocks in Korea, were weak early on the 23rd. As uncertainty in the Middle East grew, with the United States warning Iran that it would obliterate its power plants, investor sentiment appeared to deteriorate.
As of 9:13 a.m. that day, SK hynix was trading at 952,000 won, down 55,000 won (5.46%) from the previous session. At the same time, Samsung Electronics was trading at 190,000 won, down 4.71%.
On the 20th (local time), the previous session, major U.S. indexes fell across the board, with the Nasdaq down 2%. In particular, major semiconductor stocks all tumbled on news that Super Micro Computer, an artificial intelligence (AI) server specialist, had smuggled Nvidia's AI chips into China. Super Micro plunged 33.32%, and Nvidia also fell more than 3%.
With one full day left until U.S. President Donald Trump's "ultimatum" to raze Iran's power plants if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened, tensions in the Middle East are running high.
The Iranian military said the previous day that if the United States attacks its power plants and other energy infrastructure, it will completely close the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian side noted, "We will not reopen the strait until the destroyed power plants are rebuilt."