KOSPI closes down 6.02% at 5,059.69 after AI-driven sell-off
Published on 11/06/2026 at 22:52 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWSKOSPI closes amid renewed AI fears
- The KOSPI closed at 5,059.69 on November 6, 2026, down 6.02 percent from the previous session.
- The index briefly fell to 4,911.28 after an opening decline of more than 8 percent triggered a 20-minute trading halt.
- Concerns about tighter US regulation of AI data-center construction weighed on semiconductor stocks and prompted heavy foreign selling.
The KOSPI ended the November 6, 2026 session sharply lower after a volatile day in Seoul. The benchmark index closed at 5,059.69, down 324.11 points or 6.02 percent from the previous session's close of 5,383.80. The session was already complete when the late European reporting slot began.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the index fell more than 8 percent shortly after the opening bell and briefly reached an intraday low of 4,911.28. The Korea Exchange then suspended KOSPI stock trading for 20 minutes under the market's circuit-breaker mechanism. The index recovered part of its losses but remained close to the 5,000-point level at the close.
AI spending concerns drive selling
The sell-off followed an overnight decline in US technology shares. Investors were concerned that the Democratic Party's control of both chambers of Congress after the US midterm elections could slow or more tightly regulate the construction of artificial-intelligence data centers. The concern spread across the broader AI supply chain, including Korean semiconductor manufacturers.
Semiconductor heavyweights were among the main drags on the index. Samsung Electronics fell 6.35 percent to 188,700 won, while SK hynix dropped 10.44 percent to 1,132,000 won. The losses came as market participants reassessed the sustainability of AI-related investment and the outlook for demand linked to data-center construction.
Foreign selling intensifies pressure
Foreign investors were net sellers of 2.77 trillion won in Korean shares, according to Yonhap, while retail and institutional investors bought shares on a combined net basis. The breadth of the decline remained weak, with 757 stocks falling against 131 advancers. The Korean won also weakened to 1,356.6 won per US dollar at 3:30 p.m. local time, down 14.5 won from the previous trading session.
The two-day decline highlights the KOSPI's sensitivity to changes in expectations for global technology investment. Whether the sell-off stabilizes will depend in part on subsequent evidence about AI infrastructure demand and the policy direction of the new US Congress. Further KOSPI coverage is available on the KOSPI topic page.
