Kospi slips 7% after hot streak, led by Samsung and SK Hynix

South Korea’s Kospi tumbled about 7% after a holiday, ending its run as the world’s top performer for 2026. The retreat was led by heavy losses in Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, with foreign investors net-sellers over the last two sessions (outflows near 7 trillion won at end-February and about 5.4 trillion won on Tuesday). A weaker won, rising crude prices, and risk-off sentiment weighed on sentiment, though the index remains up around 37% year-to-date and 128% over the past year, with regulators briefly suspending program trading during the session.