As the U.S.-Iran war showed signs of further escalation, Korea's stock market opened lower on the 23rd. The KOSPI is down in the 4% range, and the KOSDAQ is also down in the 3% range.
As of 9:10 a.m. that day, the KOSPI was at 5,502.41, down 4.82% (278.79 points) from the previous day. The KOSPI opened at 5,580.15, down 201.05 points (3.48%) from the prior trading day.
In the Korea Exchange main board, individuals are net buying 908.0 billion won. Foreign investors and institutions are net selling 554.4 billion won and 373.1 billion won, respectively.
Heavyweight stocks by market cap on the main board are all falling. Samsung Electronics is down in the 4% range, and SK hynix is down in the 5% range. Hyundai Motor, LG Energy Solution, SK Square, Samsung Biologics, Doosan Enerbility, Hanwha Aerospace, and Kia are all declining.
At the same time, the KOSDAQ was at 1,118.72, down 3.68% (42.80 points) from the prior trading day. The KOSDAQ started the session at 1,129.86, down 31.66 points (2.73%) from the previous trading day.
In the KOSDAQ market, foreign investors are net buying 69.9 billion won. Individuals and institutions are selling 47.1 billion won and 19.1 billion won, respectively.
Among top market-cap stocks on the KOSDAQ, only Sam Chun Dang Pharm, which rose to No. 1 by market cap, is gaining. EcoPro, Alteogen, EcoPro BM, Rainbow Robotics, ABL Bio, LEENO Industrial, Peptron, Kolon TissueGene, and LigaChem Biosciences are declining.
With uncertainty in the Middle East mounting, there are projections that the war between the United States and Iran could intensify further.
U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned "scorched earth" and demanded the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran launched a missile attack on Israel.
On the 21st (local time), President Trump said on the social media platform Truth Social, "If Iran does not fully open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours from now without any threats, the United States will attack and reduce to ashes Iran's various power plants, starting with the largest one."
On the same day, Iran launched a missile attack on the city of Dimona in southern Israel, where nuclear facilities are located. The attack was in retaliation for the United States and Israel striking Natanz, their key uranium enrichment complex.