South Korea’s KOSPI Falls 5.28% as Japan’s Nikkei Slides 1.79%

South Korean stocks plunged Thursday as the KOSPI lost 5.28% and Japan’s Nikkei 225 also closed lower, adding a sharp Asian risk-off signal for global markets, including crypto. The KOSPI dropped 300.15 points to 5,383.65, while the KOSDAQ finished down 5.11%.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 1,110.73 points, or 1.79%, to 61,077.90. In South Korea, sidecar mechanisms were triggered in sequence during the session, temporarily pausing program trading. The interruptions came as losses mounted across the Korean market.

Korean chip stocks fell sharply. SK Hynix shares dropped 9.45%, and Samsung Electronics fell 7.56%, both declines steeper than the KOSPI’s loss. Concerns about AI regulation accompanied the declines in both countries.

The KOSPI’s percentage loss was nearly three times the Nikkei’s, while the KOSDAQ also fell by more than 5%. The session added a risk-off signal across regional equities, with the sharpest declines in South Korea.