[Edaily Reporter PARK MIN ] The domestic stock market plummeted again following the previous day’s decline, triggering circuit breakers simultaneously in both the KOSPI and KOSDAQ markets during trading hours. This marks the first time in history that circuit breakers have been triggered on two consecutive days, from the previous day through today. In particular, SK hynix(000660), which was at the center of the index decline, recorded an intraday drop of over 17%, breaking through the 1.3 million won mark and falling to the 1.2 million won range.

According to the Korea Exchange, a circuit breaker was triggered in the KOSPI market at 12:32:33 p.m. that day. Earlier, at 12:19:13 p.m., a circuit breaker had been triggered in the KOSDAQ market. This marks the first time circuit breakers have been triggered simultaneously in both markets for two consecutive days.

A circuit breaker is a mechanism that suspends all trading for 20 minutes to mitigate market shocks if the index remains down more than 8% from the previous trading day’s closing price for one minute or longer. After trading resumes, orders are accepted for 10 minutes, followed by trading at a single price.

This was the ninth time this year that a circuit breaker was triggered on the KOSPI and the 15th time in history. This was the fourth time a circuit breaker has been triggered on the KOSDAQ this year, and the 14th time in history. Notably, this was the fourth time—including March 4, June 8, and July 28—that circuit breakers were triggered simultaneously on both the KOSPI and KOSDAQ markets.

The KOSPI opened higher today as bargain-hunting emerged early in the session amid perceptions that the market had oversold. In particular, SK hynix—which had reported second-quarter earnings below market expectations—rebounded from its pre-market plunge and briefly turned positive, suggesting that investor sentiment toward semiconductor stocks in general was improving.

However, disappointment spread after SK hynix’s conference call when the company failed to present the additional shareholder return measures the market had anticipated, triggering a flood of selling. This was compounded by liquidation of positions in single-stock leveraged ETFs, causing semiconductor stocks to fall even further.

According to MP Doctor, as of 1:28 p.m., SK hynix(000660)was trading at 1,266,000 won, down 18.32% from the previous trading day, while SamsungElectronics(005930)was down 12.73% at 192,000 won.

Among the top KOSPI stocks by market capitalization, SKSQUARE(402340)plunged 16.11% and SamsungElectroMechanics(009150)fell 15.80%, while SAMSUNG C&T CORPORATION(028260)also extended its losses, dropping 13.44%.

In addition, Samsung Life Insurance(032830)fell 11.75%, HD HYUNDAI HEAVY INDUSTRIES(329180)dropped 8.76%, LG Energy Solution(373220)declined 7.17%, SAMSUNG BIOLOGICS(207940)fell 6.97%, HyundaiMotor(005380)dropped 6.32%, KIA CORPORATION(000270)fell 5.58%, KB Financial Group(105560)declined 5.15%, and ShinhanFinancialGroup Co.,Ltd.(055550)dropped 4.96%, continuing the downward trend.

In the KOSDAQ market, Alteogen Inc.(196170)fell 9.61%, while ABL Bio Inc.(298380)(-12.06%), Peptron, Inc.(087010)(-12.66%), LigaChem Biosciences(141080)(-14.13%), SAM CHUN DANG PHARM CO. LTD(000250)(-13.55%), HLB INC.(028300)(-5.76%), and Rainbow Robotics(277810)(-8.49%) all saw their losses widen.

By sector, most sectors were down, while only defensive sectors such as food (0.34%), tobacco (0.28%), and beverages (0.01%) remained largely flat. Electrical equipment plummeted 17.80% from the previous trading day, while electronic equipment and devices (-15.53%) and semiconductors and semiconductor equipment (-15.27%) are also recording declines of around 15%.

An official from the securities industry stated, “Selling pressure across the entire market is intensifying dramatically due to a combination of foreign investors’ semiconductor-focused selling, the liquidation of leveraged products, and a decline in investor sentiment.”