South Korea’s 4.8% Market Plunge Tests Seoul’s Economic Resilience
South Korea’s KOSPI index dropped 4.8% on Tuesday, erasing an estimated $163 billion in market value in a single session. The sudden plunge puts pressure on policymakers in one of Asia’s most export‑dependent economies and raises fresh questions for global investors who have treated Seoul as a reliable, tech-heavy proxy for regional growth.
A sharp selloff in South Korean equities has wiped roughly $163 billion off the country’s stock market, testing confidence in one of Asia’s bellwether economies and adding a new pocket of stress to an already unsettled global financial landscape. The KOSPI benchmark index fell 4.8% on 18 August, a single-session drop that ranks among its more severe moves in recent years. Based on the market’s capitalization, the decline translated into about $163 billion in lost value across South Korean stocks, according to initial tallies. The plunge sliced through portfolios of domestic savers heavily invested in equities and foreign funds that use Korea as a liquid way to gain exposure to…
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