Why did Seoul stocks open lower on Thursday?

The market was dragged down by losses in chip-heavy stocks after a three-day losing streak. Overnight, mixed Wall Street trading and pressure from elevated U.S. Treasury yields and rising oil prices also weighed on sentiment.

How much did the KOSPI and the Korean won move in early Thursday trading?

The KOSPI fell 26.3 points, or 0.38 percent, to 6,811.74 as of 9:15 a.m. The won was trading at 1,358.7 won against the U.S. dollar, down 3 won from the previous stock trading session.

Which large-cap stocks were weakest in the Seoul market open?

Samsung Electronics lost 0.28 percent and SK hynix fell 0.11 percent. SK Square, the parent company of SK hynix, dropped 2.81 percent, and Samsung Electro-Mechanics declined 2.05 percent.

Seoul stocks open lower on chip losses

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Summary

Korean stocks opened lower in Seoul on Thursday, led by losses in chip-heavy shares. The KOSPI fell 26.3 points, or 0.38 percent, to 6,811.74 as of 9:15 a.m. Samsung Electronics, SK hynix, SK Square and Samsung Electro-Mechanics all traded lower. The won weakened to 1,358.7 against the U.S. dollar.

Key Facts

The KOSPI opened 0.34 percent lower and fell 26.3 points to 6,811.74 as of 9:15 a.m.
Overnight on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.86 percent and the S and P 500 dipped 0.25 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite Index gained 0.24 percent.
Samsung Electronics lost 0.28 percent, SK hynix decreased 0.11 percent, SK Square went down 2.81 percent, and Samsung Electro-Mechanics shed 2.05 percent.
The Korean won was trading at 1,358.7 won against the U.S. dollar, down 3 won from the previous stock trading session.
The market followed a three-day losing streak and was weighed by elevated U.S. Treasury yields and rising oil prices.

By Yonhap

Published Oct 1, 2026 9:32 am KST

The won-dollar exchange rate and the benchmark KOSPI indices are seen on an electronic board at Hana Bank's dealing room in central Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

Korean stocks opened lower Thursday, dragged down by losses in chip-heavy stocks, following a three-day losing streak.

After opening 0.34 percent lower, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 26.3 points, or 0.38 percent, to 6,811.74 as of 9:15 a.m.

Overnight, Wall Street ended mixed as cooler-than-expected inflation data was offset by persistent pressure from elevated U.S. Treasury yields and rising oil prices.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.86 percent, while the benchmark S&P 500 dipped 0.25 percent. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index gained 0.24 percent.

In Seoul, market heavyweights were mostly lower.

Market bellwether Samsung Electronics lost 0.28 percent, while chip giant SK hynix decreased 0.11 percent.

SK Square, the parent company of SK hynix, went down 2.81 percent, and Samsung Electro-Mechanics, an electronics component affiliate of Samsung Electronics, shed 2.05 percent.

The Korean won was trading at 1,358.7 won against the U.S. dollar, down 3 won from the close of the previous stock trading session.

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