{
  "id": 2974220,
  "title": "KOSPI plunges more than 3% as Samsung, SK hynix shares tumble",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/kospi-plunges-more-than-3-as-samsung-sk-hynix-shares-tumble-2974220",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-24T08:07:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/economy/others/20260824/kospi-plunges-more-than-3-as-samsung-sk-hynix-shares-tumble"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The KOSPI experienced a sharp decline of more than 3 percent on Monday, as the performance of Samsung Electronics and SK hynix shares dragged down the broader market. This marked a reversal of the gains made in the previous two sessions, which were fueled by expectations that the semiconductor giants would drive shareholder returns. Initially, the index opened 31.88 points, or 0.46 percent, below its previous level at 6,881.07. However, it continued its downward trajectory to close at 6,696.96, marking a loss of 215.99 points, or 3.12 percent.\n\nForeign investors played a significant role in the selling, offloading a net 3.69 trillion won worth of KOSPI shares. Institutional investors also contributed to the downturn, selling 1.29 trillion won worth of securities. In contrast, retail investors bucked the overall trend with net purchases of 3.32 trillion won, helping to alleviate some of the market’s losses.\n\nThe magnitude of the losses in Samsung Electronics and SK hynix shares was largely due to the differing shareholder return measures announced last week. SK hynix had recently announced a plan to repurchase 40 trillion won worth of its shares and retire them in full, while committing to return at least 50 percent of its free cash flow to shareholders. These announcements resulted in a significant drop in the company's share price, which in turn weighed heavily on the KOSPI.",
  "summary": "The KOSPI fell more than 3 percent Monday as weakness in Samsung Electronics and SK hynix weighed on the broader market, reversing gains posted over the previous two sessions on expectations that the two semiconductor heavyweights would boost shareholder returns. The benchmark index opened 31.88 points, or 0.46 percent, lower at 6,881.07 before extending its losses to close at 6,696.96, down…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "Samsung Electronics shares fall after shareholder return announcement",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/samsung-electronics-shares-fall-after-shareholder-return-announcement",
        "published": "2026-08-24T00:18:49.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Investing.com",
        "title": "Samsung Electronics shares skid as record shareholder returns disappoint",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/samsung-electronics-shares-skid-as-record-shareholder-returns-2921457",
        "published": "2026-08-24T02:06:29.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Seeking Alpha News",
        "title": "Samsung Electronics shares drop over 8% as $79B capital return plan disappoints",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/samsung-electronics-shares-drop-over-8-as-79b-capital-return-plan",
        "published": "2026-08-24T04:32:05.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "KOSPI plunges more than 3% as Samsung, SK hynix shares tumble",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/kospi-plunges-more-than-3-as-samsung-sk-hynix-shares-tumble",
        "published": "2026-08-24T08:02:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}