KOSPI ends 7.6 percent lower after chip rout
Published on 10/15/2026 at 18:36 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWSRegulators respond to market turmoil
- KOSPI closed at 5,554 points on October 15, down 455 points or 7.6 percent.
- U.S. consumer prices rose 3.7 percent year over year, lifting rate concerns.
- SK hynix fell 11.1 percent as semiconductor shares led the selloff.
- South Korea's unemployment data are due October 16 at 8:00 a.m. KST.
KOSPI ended at 5,554 points on October 15, losing 455 points or 7.6 percent after a semiconductor-led selloff. The decline followed U.S. consumer prices rising 3.7 percent year over year, while investors questioned the pace and profitability of artificial intelligence investment, Yonhap reports.
SK hynix fell 11.1 percent and Samsung Electronics lost 9.5 percent at the close. South Korean financial authorities then held an emergency market review and said they would prepare contingency measures, SBS reports.
Why did KOSPI plunge 7.6 percent?
The index opened at 5,673 points, down 5.6 percent from the previous close. It later fell to an intraday low of 5,451 points as foreign selling intensified and chip stocks tracked a global technology selloff.
Sticky U.S. inflation increased expectations of further Federal Reserve rate hikes. Doubts about debt-funded artificial intelligence infrastructure also weighed on semiconductor valuations, Bloomberg reports.
Winners and losers in KOSPI
Closing winners and losers on October 15, 2026, according to Aju Press:
- Samsung Biologics up 5.5 percent as defensive stocks bucked the selloff.
- Celltrion up 1.3 percent as pharmaceutical shares advanced.
- Hana Financial Group up 0.7 percent as financial shares showed relative resilience.
- Samsung Electro-Mechanics down 15.4 percent as technology shares weakened.
- SK hynix down 11.1 percent as memory-chip stocks led the decline.
- Samsung Electronics down 9.5 percent as foreign selling hit major chipmakers.
KOSPI trading safeguards and market breadth
A sell-side sidecar was triggered shortly after the open. A circuit breaker then halted trading for 20 minutes after the index fell more than 8 percent. Decliners outnumbered advancers 787 to 112, with trade worth KRW 26.87 trillion, Yonhap reports.
Electrical and electronics shares fell 10.1 percent, while pharmaceutical shares gained 2.7 percent. The closing level was the lowest since April 7, Seoul Economic Daily reports.
What comes next for KOSPI
- October 16, 2026, 8:00 a.m. KST: South Korea releases September employment data, including the unemployment rate, Naver Premium reports.
- October 16, 2026: South Korea publishes September export and import price data, with attention on the effects of currency and oil prices, Naver Premium reports.
