[Young Journalist Yohwan Kim] Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, the two stocks that had led the KOSPI rally, plunged more than 12% each, showing the Korean stock market the biggest shock since the global financial crisis. The combined market capitalization of the two semiconductor giants shrank by more than 500 trillion won in a single day, while the KOSPI recorded its unprecedented largest-ever point decline on a closing basis, falling to 8,200 points.

According to the Korea Exchange on June 24, SK Hynix fell 12.47% from the previous session to 2,555,000 won, while Samsung Electronics fell 12.31% to 310,000 won. The decline marked SK Hynix's steepest drop since December 2008, about 17 years and six months ago, and Samsung Electronics' biggest fall since October 2008, roughly 17 years and eight months ago.

The loss in market value was also enormous. When closing, SK Hynix's market capitalization stood at 1,821 trillion won and Samsung Electronics' at 1,812 trillion won. Compared with the previous combined market value of 4,147 trillion won, roughly 514 trillion won was wiped out in a single trading session. Including Samsung Electronics preferred shares, the total decline reached 531 trillion won.

Analysts said the sell-off was driven not by a single negative factor but by a combination of concerns. Investor caution intensified ahead of earnings from U.S. memory-chip maker Micron Technology, whose shares at one point fell more than 4% in after-hours trading, fueling anxiety across the semiconductor sector.

At the same time, Bank of America raised the possibility of three interest-rate increases within the year, while investors also anticipated the release of the U.S. Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) inflation data. Domestically, political discussions over the potential taxation of unrealized gains added to the market uncertainty.

Heavy selling by both foreign and institutional investors aggravated the losses. Foreign investors sold a total of 4.17 trillion won, while institutions sold a total of 4.55 trillion won, bringing total net selling to more than 8.7 trillion won. Retail investors, by contrast, bought a net 8.59 trillion won, but their purchases were not enough to prevent the decline.

The KOSPI declined 910.71 points (9.99%), finishing at 8,203.84 compared to the previous day, erasing the record-high 9,114 level reached just a day earlier. Market participants claim that the correction appeared to be driven more by profit-taking after a sharp rally, concentrated demand for semiconductor shares, and caution ahead of major events than by a deterioration in semiconductor industry fundamentals.

▶원문 기사 : 삼전닉스, 하루 만에 514조원 '훨훨'…금융위기 이후 최대, 왜? (이코노미스트, 2026. 6. 24)

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