South Korea's Kospi drops more than 4 percent as tech shares decline on Wall Street

South Korea's Kospi index dropped more than 4 percent after declines in shares of several tech giants including memory chipmaker SK Hynix, The Associated Press reported on Thursday, 15 Mordad 1405 (6 August 2026). Live Trading Economics data showed the index down 4.58 percent from the previous session at 6,296 points; Samsung Electronics fell 6.50 percent and SK Hynix 10.67 percent. CoinDesk, in a separate report published the same day, put the Kospi's decline at 4.4 percent and described the index as a bellwether for the AI trade.

According to the AP report, Brent crude held steady near $79 a barrel the same day, with uncertainty over the direction of the US-Iran war still weighing on markets despite hopes for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. On the other side of the ledger, South Korea reported a record current account surplus of $49.73 billion for June 2026, driven by strong semiconductor exports.