▲ Financial data is shown on a screen inside the dealing room of Hana Bank in central Seoul on June 25, 2026. (Yonhap)

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Seoul shares nosedive nearly 6 pct on profit hunting after AI-led rallies

SEOUL, June 26 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks tumbled nearly 6 percent Friday as investors locked in profits after recent rallies driven by stocks related to artificial intelligence (AI). The Korean won gained against the U.S. dollar.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 519.09 points, or 5.81 percent, to close at 8,411.21, after falling as low as 8,126.84.

The market rout came after the KOSPI rallied by 5.42 percent gain on Thursday and racked up a 3.26 percent rise on Wednesday.

The index opened 1.31 percent lower and extended its losses to decline more than 8 percent, inciting the bourse operator to activate a circuit breaker at 12:10 p.m. and halt trading of KOSPI shares for 20 minutes.

Overnight on Wall Street, tech heavyweights finished mixed as Micron Technology jumped 15.7 percent on strong earnings, while Apple dropped 6.1 percent after the company hiked prices on many of its products due to expensive memory chips.

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