KOSPI closes at 5,342.73 after 0.61% decline
Published on 11/12/2026 at 13:14 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWSKOSPI reverses after two-day rally
- The KOSPI closed at 5,342.73 on November 12, down 32.63 points or 0.61% from Wednesday.
- Investor sentiment weakened amid reports concerning Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, while institutions sold shares and the index gave back early gains.
- Samsung Electronics rose 0.97%, while SK hynix fell 1.80% and Naver dropped 6.43%.
The KOSPI ended Thursday, November 12, at 5,342.73, down 32.63 points or 0.61% from the previous session. The decline followed a two-day advance and came after the index initially opened higher and rose as far as 5,458.84. Yonhap News Agency reported that the benchmark fluctuated between gains and losses before ending lower.
Nvidia uncertainty weighs on sentiment
Investor attention focused on reports that Nvidia's board was preparing to remove CEO Jensen Huang. The uncertainty was relevant for South Korean technology shares because of Nvidia's close business links with Korean semiconductor companies, according to Yonhap. The report also cited analyst Lee Kyoung-min of Daishin Securities, who pointed to both the Nvidia-related uncertainty and profit-taking after the recent rally.
The market's internal breadth was weak, with 595 declining stocks against 268 advancers, while trading volume reached 233.7 million shares worth 20.6 trillion won. Foreign investors were net buyers of 370.4 billion won, but institutions sold a net 690.3 billion won and individuals sold a net 204.3 billion won, according to Yonhap.
Large-cap technology shares diverge
Performance among major technology companies was mixed. Samsung Electronics gained 0.97% to 208,000 won, while SK hynix fell 1.80% to 1.25 million won. Hanmi Semiconductor declined 1.14%, and Samsung Electro-Mechanics dropped 4.01%. Naver, in which Nvidia is the third-largest shareholder, fell 6.43% to 181,800 won.
The Asia Business Daily separately reported that institutions sold 764.2 billion won worth of KOSPI shares and said the index turned lower after briefly moving above 5,400. The differing reported flow figures reflect the respective source data and are not combined here.
Market context
Wednesday's close was 5,375.36, up 136.23 points or 2.60%, providing the comparison base for Thursday's move. The latest decline therefore marked a pause after the two-session rebound rather than a continuation of the earlier selloff. The next KOSPI market developments are covered on the KOSPI topic page.
