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Breaking UK to leave EU: BBC

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/ Yonhap

By Lee Han-soo

Britons have voted to leave the European Union, according to a forecast by the BBC and ITV.

The speculation of the “Leave” vote’s success is causing financial markets to free-fall.

The British pound has dropped 10 percent in today’s market, while Tokyo stocks plunged nearly 7 percent and South Korea's KOSPI tumbled about 4 percent.

The euro slumped nearly 4 percent against the U.S. dollar, while other assets such as gold and the yen surged.

Britain would be the first major country to leave the union and this could have a severe impact on the EU economy because the UK represents a sixth of its economic output.

With 329 of 382 counting centers reporting results, the ”Leave” side is ahead by over 900,000 votes.