KOSPI Closes at 6,200, Down 5%... KOSDAQ Rises 2%

Semiconductors and Related Stocks Including Samsung Electronics and SK hynix Face Adjustments
KOSDAQ Remains Strong, Led by Pharmaceuticals and Biotech

The KOSPI closed at the 6,200 level, falling 5% from the previous trading day, which had seen a strong rebound. In contrast, the KOSDAQ rose by 2% due to concentrated demand from individual and institutional investors.

On August 3, at the Korea Exchange, the KOSPI finished trading at 6,257.45, down 5.12% from the previous session. After starting the day with a decline in the 3% range, the drop deepened as trading progressed.

On the 3rd, employees are monitoring the stock market and exchange rates in the dealing room at the Hana Bank headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul. On that day, the KOSPI started at 6,358.27, down 3.6% from the previous trading day, continuing its downward trend, while the KOSDAQ started at 709.00, down 1.3%, before turning upward. August 3, 2026. Photo by Cho Yongjun

Individual investors made net purchases of KOSPI stocks worth 4.6531 trillion won, but were outweighed by selling from foreign and institutional investors. Foreign investors sold a net 2.8264 trillion won, and institutions a net 1.9477 trillion won.

By sector, the changes were as follows: Textiles & Apparel -10.16%, Electrical & Electronics -7.60%, Manufacturing -6.15%, Insurance -5.06%, Distribution -4.64%, Securities -3.32%, Pharmaceuticals -2.56%, Financials -1.79%, Chemicals -1.14%, Food, Beverage & Tobacco -1.08%, Electric & Gas -0.77%. Meanwhile, some sectors made slight gains: Construction 1.75%, Entertainment & Culture 0.79%, Medical & Precision Equipment 0.73%, Communications 0.69%, Paper & Wood 0.69%, Real Estate 0.29%, General Services 0.23%.

Most of the large-cap stocks declined. Samsung Electronics fell 8.76%, while SK hynix dropped 8.79%, both seeing losses in the 8% range. SK Square dropped 1.25%, LG Energy Solution fell 3.66%, Samsung Biologics declined 4.18%, Samsung Life Insurance fell 7.70%, and Samsung C&T declined 6.40%. In contrast, Samsung Electro-Mechanics gained 3.42%, Hyundai Motor rose 1.29%, and KB Financial Group was up 0.59%.

The KOSDAQ, on the other hand, closed at 737.35, up 2.44% from the previous session. At around 10:28 a.m., the KOSDAQ rose more than 4%, triggering a buy-side sidecar.

The rise in the KOSDAQ was driven by individual and institutional investors. Individuals made net purchases of 33.7 billion won, while institutions purchased a net 166.9 billion won. Foreign investors, however, were net sellers by 209.2 billion won.

Among major KOSDAQ stocks, the gains in the bio sector stood out. Peptron rose 29.97%, Abl Bio increased 6.29%, HLB gained 0.98%, and Alteogen climbed 2.92%. However, other stocks such as Ecopro (-2.15%), Ecopro BM (-6.47%), Leeno Industrial (-4.21%), and Wonik IPS (-4.00%) closed lower.

Lee Kyungmin, a researcher at Daishin Securities, analyzed, "As Samsung Electronics and SK hynix rose sharply in just one day on July 31, foreign investors realized profits focused on these two stocks today, resulting in a reversal of the market trend."

He further commented, "Along with adjustments among major semiconductor stocks, semiconductor component stocks on KOSDAQ also entered a pause. Meanwhile, as demand that had been concentrated in semiconductors shifted to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and robotics sectors, the KOSDAQ continued to show strength."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.