{
  "id": 17164836,
  "title": "Seoul stocks down over 5 pct late Fri. morning on tech losses amid AI concerns",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/seoul-stocks-down-over-5-pct-late-fri-morning-on-tech-losses-amid-ai",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-10-30T02:30:37.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yonhap News",
    "slug": "yonhap-news",
    "url": "https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20261030005600320"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "South Korean stocks experienced a significant downturn on Friday morning, with the benchmark KOSPI index falling 5.25 percent to 5,626.02, as of 11:20 a.m. The decline was primarily driven by heavy losses in technology shares, reflecting growing concerns about the viability of the artificial intelligence (AI) surge. The market's slide followed a decline on Wall Street, where fears surrounding inflated AI-related valuations dampened investor confidence. In response to the market's sharp decline, the Korea Exchange initiated a sell-side sidecar, suspending program trading for five minutes for KOSPI-listed shares, for the first time in 11 trading days.\n\nAmong the hardest-hit stocks were Samsung Electronics, which dropped 6.03 percent, and SK hynix, falling 8.65 percent. Furthermore, leading automaker Hyundai Motor saw a 3.76 percent decline after announcing a reduction in its annual sales target and investment plans due to a tough business climate. Additionally, defense firm Hanwha Aerospace experienced a substantial 12.24 percent drop following the release of weaker-than-anticipated third-quarter earnings, attributed to delays in the delivery of K9 self-propelled howitzers to Poland. As of 10:20 a.m., the Korean won was trading at 1,337.8 won per U.S. dollar, marking a 1.7 won increase from the previous session's close.",
  "summary": "SEOUL, Oct. 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks sank more than 5 percent late Fri...",
  "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."
}