The KOSPI fell 4.13 percent to 6,325.82 as of 10:08 a.m. local time, with losses deepening as the session wore on. Foreign investors were the biggest sellers, offloading a net 1.14 trillion won ($798 million) in shares. Retail investors bought a net 995.6 billion won, while institutions added 117.8 billion won.
The junior KOSDAQ slipped 1.04 percent to 791.27. Retail investors bought a net 180.1 billion won ($126 million) worth of shares, while foreign and institutional investors sold 169.0 billion won and 10.9 billion won, respectively.
Semiconductor stocks led the decline after weakness in U.S. chip shares overnight. SK hynix plunged 8.27 percent to 1,530,000 won, following a 2.17 percent drop in its U.S.-listed ADR. Samsung Electronics fell 4.47 percent to 235,000 won.
The weakness spread across the broader AI supply chain. SK Square tumbled 10.81 percent to 998,000 won, and Samsung Electro-Mechanics slid 9.81 percent to 1,223,000 won.
Elsewhere, Hyundai Motor slipped 1.24 percent to 399,500 won, and Samsung Life Insurance fell 4.76 percent to 280,000 won. Samsung Biologics was unchanged at 1,491,000 won. LG Energy Solution and KB Financial were among the few gainers, rising 0.45 percent to 337,000 won and 0.41 percent to 171,400 won, respectively.
On the KOSDAQ, losses were concentrated in semiconductor equipment and battery-related shares. AI drug developer Alteogen slipped 0.36 percent to 276,000 won. Battery materials makers EcoPro and EcoPro BM fell 0.36 percent and 1.38 percent, to 82,000 won and 100,300 won.
AI robotics developer Rainbow Robotics edged up 0.21 percent to 485,000 won, while semiconductor equipment makers Jusung Engineering and Wonik IPS dropped 5.95 percent and 7.37 percent, to 134,400 won and 90,500 won. Among biopharmaceutical stocks, HLB fell 0.57 percent, ABL Bio rose 0.75 percent, Peptron climbed 4.37 percent, and chip substrate maker Simmtech jumped 5.73 percent to 108,900 won.
Wall Street's mixed finish overnight dampened sentiment. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.49 percent, but the S&P 500 slipped 0.17 percent and the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.83 percent as investors took profits in technology shares.
Chipmakers were among the weakest performers on Wall Street. Advanced Micro Devices tumbled more than 7 percent after its outlook disappointed investors, while Nvidia bucked the trend, rising 3.44 percent on hopes that its AI infrastructure partnership with SpaceX could support future demand.
Weak economic data added to the cautious mood. U.S. private employers added just 44,000 jobs in July, well below expectations of 75,000, and growth in the services sector also fell short of forecasts.
In currency markets, the Korean won strengthened to 1,417.30 against the dollar, from the previous session's close of 1,426.50.
In the wider region, Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 1.73 percent to 65,153.65 as weakness in U.S. technology shares and profit-taking weighed on semiconductor and electronics stocks.
AJP Takeaways
• KOSPI dropped 4.13 percent to 6,325.82 as of 10:08 a.m., with foreign investors selling a net 1.14 trillion won ($798 million) in shares.
• Semiconductor stocks led the losses, tracking an overnight slump in U.S. chip shares; SK hynix fell 8.27 percent and Samsung Electronics dropped 4.47 percent.
• KOSDAQ fell 1.04 percent to 791.27, dragged down by semiconductor equipment and battery makers.
• Wall Street closed mixed overnight — the Dow rose but the S&P 500 and Nasdaq fell — after AMD's disappointing outlook and weak U.S. jobs data hit tech shares.
• The won strengthened to 1,417.30 against the dollar, while Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 1.73 percent on similar tech weakness.
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