{
  "id": 15717531,
  "title": "(LEAD) Seoul stocks slide nearly 4 pct on AI jitters, unrest in France",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/lead-seoul-stocks-slide-nearly-4-pct-on-ai-jitters-unrest-in-france",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-10-20T06:54:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yonhap News",
    "slug": "yonhap-news",
    "url": "https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20261020007151320"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "South Korean shares experienced a sharp decline of nearly 4 percent on Tuesday, driven by investors cashing in on recent gains in major chip shares amid lingering worries about the artificial intelligence (AI) value chain. The Korean won strengthened against the U.S. dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) dropped 215.27 points, or 3.73 percent, to 5,552.74 after reaching an all-time low of 5,493.24. The index had opened lower by 0.6 percent before extending its losses due to growing anxieties over AI-related sectors and violent protests in France, dampening appetite for riskier assets. Following a two-day surge following a significant sell-off fueled by AI investment concerns, the KOSPI had plummeted by approximately 21 percent over seven trading sessions, from October 6 through Thursday. U.S. stocks closed mixed overnight, with technology shares rebounding from their steepest weekly drop since June, as concerns over credit risks and profitability of AI investments persisted, according to Lee Kyoung-min, an analyst at Daishin Securities. Profit-taking following the previous session's gains sent the market back into negative territory, with trade volume light at 259.75 million shares worth 16 trillion won (US$12.97 billion). Decliners significantly outnumbered advancers, with 771 to 117. Foreign investors and institutions collectively sold a combined net of 535.4 billion won and 1 trillion won, while domestic retail investors bought a net 900 billion won. Notably, major market players suffered losses, with technology shares leading the decline. Samsung Electronics, a market bellwether, plummeted 2.98 percent to close at 211,500 won, while chipmaker SK hynix experienced a 4.23 percent drop to 1.22 million won, marking its lowest close since April. SK Square, the parent company of SK hynix, slipped 5 percent to 741,000 won, and Samsung Electro-Mechanics, an electronics component subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, fell 1.28 percent to 1.16 million won. The Korean won closed at 1,328.1 won per U.S. dollar, up 2.2 won from the previous trading session's closing price.",
  "summary": "SEOUL, Oct. 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korean shares plunged by nearly 4 percent Tuesd...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "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."
}