{
  "id": 14657460,
  "title": "[COVER STORY] Black Thursday: KOSPI plunges 7% amid AI spending fears",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/cover-story-black-thursday-kospi-plunges-7-amid-ai-spending-fears-14657460",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-10-15T09:17:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/economy/20261015/cover-story-black-thursday-kospi-plunges-7-amid-ai-spending-fears"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Black Thursday struck the Korean market as the KOSPI index plummeted 7.57% and lost nearly 400 trillion won ($297.7 billion) in market value. The sharp decline stemmed from worries about the viability of artificial intelligence (AI) spending and the future of the semiconductor industry. By the close of trading, the KOSPI index had fallen to 5,554.22, marking a 7.57% drop.\n\nTriggered at 9:07 a.m., a sell-side sidecar signaled one of 27 such activations this year. Subsequently, a Level 1 circuit breaker was activated at 12:38 p.m. A sell-side sidecar is set off when the most actively traded KOSPI 200 future falls by at least 5% from the prior session for one minute. A Level 1 circuit breaker comes into play when the benchmark index drops by at least 8% from the previous close for a minute.\n\nForeign investors unloaded 3.6 trillion won worth of shares, marking their eighth consecutive day of net selling. Amid the turmoil, institutional and retail investors stepped in to buy shares at discounted prices. Samsung Electronics, a heavyweight on the market, witnessed a 9.48% decline, closing the session at a lower valuation.",
  "summary": "Korean stocks plunged 7.57 percent and shed nearly 400 trillion won ($297.7 billion) in market capitalization Thursday, amid concerns over the sustainability of artificial intelligence (AI) spending and the outlook for the semiconductor sector. The benchmark KOSPI closed at 5,554.22, down 7.57 percent. A sell-side sidecar was triggered at 9:07 a.m., marking the 27th activation this year, followed…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Black Thursday: KOSPI plunges 7% amid AI spending fears",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/black-thursday-kospi-plunges-7-amid-ai-spending-fears",
        "published": "2026-10-15T07:37:02.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}