KOSPI 'Tumbles' to 5,300 on Foreign Selling; KOSDAQ Also Down More Than 3%

KOSPI down 3% as foreign investors sell KRW 352.2 billion in early trading
KOSDAQ trades around 730 as retail investors and institutions sell

The KOSPI fell to the 5,300 level amid foreign selling. The KOSDAQ was down more than 3%, as retail investors and institutions sold shares.

The domestic stock market was displayed on an electronic board at Hana Bank's dealing room in Jung-gu, Seoul, on Oct. 23, as the KOSPI fell more than 3% early in the session, breaking below the 5,400 level. 2026.10.23. Photo by Kang Jinhyung.

As of 9:24 a.m. on the 23rd, the KOSPI was trading at 5,353.18, down 180.59 points (3.26%) from the previous trading day. Foreign investors led the decline, posting net sales of KRW 352.192 billion in early trading. Retail investors and institutions were net buyers of KRW 198.214 billion and KRW 175.905 billion, respectively.

All sectors were lower except Pharmaceuticals (+1.43%) and Food, Beverages & Tobacco (+0.34%). Machinery & Equipment (-4.87%), Electrical & Electronics (-4.12%), Metals (-4.03%), Retail (-3.62%), Transportation Equipment & Parts (-3.53%), Medical & Precision Instruments (-3.24%), and Construction (-3.18%) were among the sectors down more than 3%.

Among the top companies by market capitalization, the three largest were all lower: Samsung Electronics, ranked No. 1, fell 4.1%; SK hynix, ranked No. 2, fell 2.9%; and SK Square, ranked No. 3, fell 2.1%. Samsung Electro-Mechanics (-7.0%), Doosan Enerbility (-5.6%), Samsung SDI (-5.3%), HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (-5.0%), Samsung C&T (-4.8%), and SK (-4.5%) also posted sharp declines.

The KOSDAQ was trading at 735.98, down 28.12 points (3.68%) from the previous trading day. Foreign investors were net buyers of KRW 32.748 billion, while retail investors and institutions were net sellers of KRW 19.517 billion and KRW 10.799 billion, respectively.

All sectors were lower except Publishing & Media (+2.20%). Machinery & Equipment (-5.96%), Electrical & Electronics (-5.61%), Manufacturing (-4.50%), Non-Metallic Materials (-4.42%), and Financials (-4.34%) posted steep declines.

Among the top companies by market capitalization, the top three all declined: Alteogen fell 2.3%, EcoPro fell 6.0%, and EcoPro BM fell 6.5%. Semiconductor-related stocks also posted notable losses, including SIMMTECH (-11.6%), Jusung Engineering (-7.9%), Wonik IPS (-7.2%), and LEENO Industrial (-6.8%). Robot-related stocks such as ROBOTIS (-5.8%) and Rainbow Robotics (-5.6%) also fell.

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