[Edaily Reporter KIM YOON-JEONG ] As the KOSPI continued its decline of over 5% on the afternoon of the 19th, retail investors are stepping in to buy on the dip, making net purchases totaling over 4 trillion won. While semiconductor stocks are taking a heavy hit—with SamsungElectronics and SK hynix plummeting by 7% and 9%, respectively—retail investors are the only ones actively buying, whereas foreign and institutional investors are collectively net selling over 4.5 trillion won.

According to MP Doctor, as of 1:31 p.m. today, the KOSPI index stood at 6,488.29, down 381.54 points (5.55%) from the previous trading day. The index opened at 6,528.77, down 341.06 points (4.96%) from the previous close, and fell as low as 6,400.81 during the session.
In terms of supply and demand, based on NexTrade (NXT) aggregate data, retail investors are supporting the index from below by making net purchases of 4.3978 trillion won worth of stocks on the stock market. In contrast, foreign and institutional investors are showing divergent trends from retail investors, with net sales of 2.8030 trillion won and 1.7339 trillion won, respectively.
Shortly after the market opened at 9:06 a.m., the KOSPI 200 futures price fell 6.02% from the benchmark price, triggering the sell-side circuit breaker on the stock market. As a result, the execution of program sell orders was temporarily suspended for five minutes.
Overnight, U.S. stock markets fell across the board as rising long-term U.S. Treasury yields coincided with oil price volatility stemming from the Middle East. The Nasdaq fell 1.33%, and the S&P 500 dropped 0.69%. Investor sentiment was weighed down by rising international oil prices—driven by fading hopes for U.S.-Iran negotiations—and by the yield on the 30-year U.S. Treasury note, which climbed to 5.337% during the trading session, hitting its highest level since 2007.
In particular, selling pressure centered on artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor stocks due to concerns over rising interest rates. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX) plummeted 4.98%, with Micron (-7.06%), SanDisk (-8.89%), and Western Digital (-7.43%) all posting sharp declines. SK hynix American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) also plunged 9.20%.
Kim Ki-baek, an analyst at Shinhan Investment Securities, explained, “As long-term interest rates rose simultaneously across the U.S., Japan, and Europe, concerns over discount rates for growth stocks and capital expenditures (CAPEX) came to the fore, causing U.S. tech stocks to weaken.” He added, “In particular, selling pressure has spread across the entire artificial intelligence (AI) value chain—including memory semiconductors, which had seen a short-term rebound—and domestic semiconductor stocks are continuing to underperform.”
SamsungElectronics(005930), the company with the largest market capitalization on the KOSPI, is trading at 248,500 won, down 20,000 won (7.45%) from the previous trading day. SK hynix(000660), the second-largest by market cap, has plummeted 150,000 won (9.03%) to 1,512,000 won.
Selling pressure is also spreading to stocks related to these two market leaders. SKSQUARE(402340)is trading at 1,012,000 won, down 123,000 won (10.84%) from the previous trading day. SamsungElectroMechanics(009150)is trading at 1,375,000 won, down 65,000 won (4.51%), and SamsungElectronics(1P)(005935)has also fallen 7.73%.
In addition, HyundaiMotor(005380)(-5.17%), SAMSUNG BIOLOGICS(207940)(-0.07%), KB Financial Group(105560)(-2.85%), and Samsung Life Insurance(032830)(-9.74%) are trading lower. On the other hand, LG Energy Solution(373220)(1.28%) and HANWHA AEROSPACE(012450)(1.83%) are rising.
The KOSDAQ market has recovered most of its morning losses and has risen to near the break-even point. As of this writing, the KOSDAQ index stands at 831.05, down 3.15 points (0.38%) from the previous trading day. The index opened at 810.08, down 24.12 points (2.89%) from the previous close.
In the KOSDAQ market, foreign and institutional investors are net buyers of 45.1 billion won and 47.8 billion won worth of stocks, respectively. In contrast, retail investors are net sellers of 98.5 billion won worth of stocks, showing a supply-and-demand trend that is the exact opposite of that in the KOSPI market.
Among the top-market-cap stocks on the KOSDAQ, Alteogen Inc.(196170)is trading at 304,500 won, up 6,500 won (2.18%) from the previous trading day. ECOPRO BM CO., LTD.(247540)is up 1,700 won (1.56%) to 110,800 won, while ECOPRO CO., LTD(086520)is trading flat at 87,100 won.
In addition, LEENO Industrial Inc(058470)(1.47%), EO Technics Co., Ltd.(039030)(1.09%), ABL Bio Inc.(298380)(1.13%), and Peptron, Inc.(087010)(4.00%) are all rising. On the other hand, Rainbow Robotics(277810)(-1.81%), JUSUNG ENGINEERING Co.,Ltd.(036930)(-2.34%), and HLB INC.(028300)(-1.51%) are showing weakness.