Kospi crashes 9%, trading halted for 20 minutes, as chip rout deepens; Samsung, SK Hynix worst hit

South Korea's KOSPI index saw a sharp decline on Monday. Investors sold off artificial intelligence stocks, revealing the market's heavy reliance on semiconductor giants. Samsung and SK Hynix shares fell significantly. This selloff followed a strong rally driven by AI demand. Geopolitical tensions also contributed to the market's downturn. The KOSPI experienced its second trading halt this year.