[Edaily Reporter Kwon Oh Seok ] The KOSPI opened lower as semiconductor stocks fell across the board amid concerns over the “AI (Artificial Intelligence) slowdown.”

According to MP Doctor on the 14th, the KOSPI opened at 6,692.61, down 217.30 points (3.14%) from the previous trading day, and as of 9:10 a.m., it was trading at 6,707.53, down 202.38 points (2.93%).
So far today, retail investors are the only net buyers in the KOSPI market, with net purchases totaling 849 billion won, while foreign and institutional investors are net sellers of 668.7 billion won and 226.6 billion won, respectively. By trading type, combined arbitrage and non-arbitrage trades show a net selling volume of 540 billion won.
Earlier on the 13th (local time), according to Reuters and other outlets, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, announced that the company would not proceed with its planned IPO this year, stating, “We will address safety and alignment challenges first.” Additionally, NBC News reported on the 11th that Joe Benton, a former Antropic employee, and Josh Engels, a former Google employee, spoke out in interviews about the risks of AI.
Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, also posted on his blog warning of the potential for AI misuse and urging that the pace of model development be slowed to establish safety measures.
Consequently, concerns are mounting in the domestic stock market regarding a decline in investor sentiment and a slowdown in earnings momentum among memory semiconductor companies—such as SamsungElectronics(005930)and SK hynix(000660) —which had been on an upward trend fueled by the AI boom.
Currently, SamsungElectronics is trading at 251,000 won, down 8,500 won (3.28%) from the previous trading day, while SK hynix is trading at 1,721,000 won, down 91,000 won (5.02%).
Securities analysts agree that while short-term volatility in the domestic stock market may increase, a floor will remain in place. Han Ji-young, an analyst at KIWOOM Securities, “In the domestic stock market, support around the KOSPI 7,000 level, the resumption of net buying by foreign investors, and whether the semiconductor sector maintains its leadership are expected to be key factors,” adding, “Foreign investors will be the key players determining the market’s future direction, and whether they resume net buying as the market digests the September U.S. FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee) event will be a key condition for the index to stabilize around 7,000.”
She added, “It is also noteworthy that, even amid macroeconomic uncertainty, the KOSPI is exhibiting a pattern of weakness early in the session followed by strength later on, driven primarily by semiconductors, where recent AI demand and the outlook for the memory market remain intact,” noting that “this suggests that buying demand and the index’s downside rigidity are strengthening during market corrections.”
Meanwhile, the KOSDAQ index opened at 806.27, down 14.37 points (1.75%) from the previous trading day, and is currently trading at 807.88, down 12.76 points (1.55%) at the same time.
So far today, retail investors are the only group showing net buying in the KOSDAQ market, with 42 billion won in net purchases, while foreign and institutional investors are net sellers by 8.6 billion won and 33.1 billion won, respectively. By trading type, combined arbitrage and non-arbitrage trades show a net selling position of 22.2 billion won.