[Edaily Reporter Park Jung-Soo ] The KOSPI opened lower. Investor sentiment was dampened by a resurgence in geopolitical tensions in the Middle East following Iran’s announcement that it would re-block the Strait of Hormuz, compounded by a surge in international oil prices and concerns over further interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve (Fed). However, the index is narrowing its losses thanks to a slight rebound in semiconductor stocks, including SamsungElectronics(005930).
According to MP Doctor on the 14th, as of 9:20 a.m., the KOSPI is trading at 6,779.04, down 0.41% (27.89 points) from the previous trading day. Although it fell by more than 2% during the session, the decline is narrowing.

Overnight, U.S. stock markets fell across the board. On the 13th (local time), the S&P 500 index closed at 7,515.34 on the New York Stock Exchange, down 0.79% from the previous trading day. The Nasdaq Composite Index fell 1.55% to 25,873.18, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 0.26% at 52,498.64.
The market turmoil was triggered by military tensions between the United States and Iran. The two countries continued their conflict over the Strait of Hormuz, exchanging additional airstrikes on this day following those over the weekend. In response, U.S. President Donald Trump announced on his social media platform, Truth Social, that he would resume an “Iran blockade” targeting Iranian vessels and vessels owned by Iranian clients.
The U.S. also declared that it would henceforth serve as “The Guardian of the Strait of Hormuz” and require all cargo passing through the strait to pay 20% of its value as a “security fee.”
In particular, the semiconductor sector—which had driven the AI investment boom and fueled the stock market rally in recent months—saw a sharp decline amid a combination of profit-taking and concerns about the sustainability of AI investments. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX) posted the weakest performance among major indices.
SK hynix ADRs, which had surged 13% on their first day of trading on the Nasdaq on the 10th, fell 9.3% that day. Micron dropped 4.3%, SanDisk fell 12.6%, Seagate Technology declined 5.5%, AMD slipped 4.2%, and Intel fell 6.1%, as selling pressure spread across the memory and AI semiconductor sectors.
Kim Yu-mi, an analyst at KIWOOM Securities, noted, “The market opened lower, led by major semiconductor stocks, due to the weakness in U.S. semiconductor and memory stocks,” adding, “The sharp rise in international oil prices and concerns over further monetary tightening in the U.S. also continue to pose a potential burden on foreign investor sentiment and trading activity.” However, she predicted, “Given that the KOSPI plunged nearly 9% the previous day, the market is expected to partially recover from its early-session losses thanks to bargain-hunting driven by the perception that the decline was excessive.”
In the stock market, retail investors are selling 1 trillion won worth of shares, while foreign and institutional investors are net buyers of 68.2 billion won and 943.1 billion won, respectively. Program trading shows a net buy of 358.3 billion won, combining both arbitrage and non-arbitrage trades.
By sector, insurance and transportation equipment and parts are down by around 3%, while machinery and equipment, and pharmaceuticals are down by more than 2%. Construction, retail, paper and wood, and entertainment and culture are down by around 1%. In contrast, transportation and warehousing, electricity and gas, textiles and apparel, and electrical and electronics are showing gains.
Among the top market-cap stocks, declines are predominant, with Samsung Life Insurance(032830)down more than 5%, and HD HYUNDAI HEAVY INDUSTRIES(329180) and HyundaiMotor(005380) recording losses in the 4% range. Conversely, SamsungElectronics(005930)and ShinhanFinancialGroup Co.,Ltd.(055550)are up in the 1% range, and SKSQUARE(402340) and SK hynix(000660) are also showing gains.
The KOSDAQ market is currently at 783.96, down 1.93% (15.40 points) from the previous trading day. Among the top-market-cap stocks, declines are predominant, with Kolon TissueGene, Inc.(950160)falling by over 8% and Alteogen Inc.(196170)dropping by more than 7%.