KOSPI Closes Down 1% Amid Crude Oil Decline and Reports of North Korea's Kim Jong-un Critical Condition

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] On the 21st, the KOSPI closed down over 1%. This was due to increased market uncertainty following the historic plunge of crude oil prices into negative territory and reports that North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un was in critical condition after surgery.

On this day, the KOSPI closed at 1879.38, down 1.00% from the previous trading day. After falling below the 1900 mark the day before and opening down about 0.6%, the KOSPI rose to around 1898 during the session but then plunged following foreign media reports that North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un was in a 'grave danger' condition after recent surgery. Consequently, the KOSPI dropped as much as 2.99% to 1841.66 compared to the previous day.

However, the decline narrowed after the government announced no unusual developments related to North Korea.

Among the top market capitalization stocks, Samsung Electronics (-1.70%), SK Hynix, NAVER, Hyundai Motor, and Samsung C&T Corporation declined, while Samsung Biologics (2.30%), LG Chem (0.71%), and LG Household & Health Care (2.93%) rose.

The KOSDAQ index closed at 628.77, down 1.42% from the previous trading day. Celltrion Healthcare (1.25%) and Celltrion Pharm (0.98%) rose, whereas HLB (-4.28%) and Pearl Abyss (-0.66%) closed lower.

Lee Kyung-min, a researcher at Daishin Securities, said, "Profit-taking sentiment has increased amid uncertainty and various issues," adding, "We should keep open the possibility that fluctuations will continue for some time due to various events, economic indicators, and earnings announcements."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.