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Tariff Worries and Profit-Taking Pull KOSPI Down Despite Record Foreign Inflows

Foreign investors maintained record stakes in local stocks; profit-taking in defense and semiconductor shares capped the market advance.

This photo, taken Aug. 8, 2025, shows the dealing room of Hana Bank in central Seoul. (Yonhap)
This photo taken Aug. 8, 2025, shows the dealing room of Hana Bank in central Seoul. (Yonhap)
A dealing room at Hana Bank in downtown Seoul on Aug. 6, 2025 (Yonhap)
An electronic signboard at a Hana Bank dealing room in Seoul shows the Korea Composite Stock Price Index dropped 17.67 points, or 0.55 percent, to close at 3,210.01 on Aug. 8, 2025. (Yonhap)

Overview

  • The KOSPI dropped 17.67 points on August 8 to close at 3,210.01 after institutions and foreign investors offloaded a combined 289.1 billion won of shares.
  • On August 7 the index had climbed 29.54 points to 3,227.68 as technology and auto stocks rallied on U.S. market gains.
  • Samsung Electronics rose for a second session after securing a deal to produce Apple’s next-generation processor at its Austin foundry.
  • Offshore investors held a record 921.6 trillion won of Korean equities at the end of July, marking three straight months of net purchases.
  • The won traded between 1,381 and 1,389 per dollar as traders weighed U.S. tariff policy and the government’s upcoming visa waiver for Chinese tour groups.