KOSPI Plunges Early Then Rebounds to Close Above 7,500

by Lim Chunhan

Published 18 May.2026 15:52(KST)

On May 18, the KOSPI index plunged sharply in early trading, threatening to fall below the 7,100 mark, but later rebounded to recover the 7,500 level.

On the 18th, the KOSPI is displayed on the status board of Hana Bank dealing room in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

The KOSPI closed at 7,516.04, up 22.86 points (0.31%) from the previous session. Individual investors and institutions were net buyers, purchasing 2.2089 trillion won and 1.3906 trillion won respectively. Foreign investors, on the other hand, were net sellers, offloading 3.6516 trillion won.

By sector, machinery & equipment (-3.74%), transportation equipment & components (-3.53%), entertainment & culture (-3.26%), IT services (-3.25%), and pharmaceuticals (-2.94%) declined.

Among large-cap stocks, Samsung Electronics rose 3.88% and SK hynix gained 1.15%, while SK Square (-0.46%), Hyundai Motor (-5.29%), and LG Energy Solution (-2.16%) fell.

The KOSPI opened at 7,443.29, down 0.67% from the previous trading day. At 9:19:22 a.m., trading of program sell orders was suspended for five minutes due to fluctuations in the KOSPI 200 futures index. At the time of suspension, the KOSPI 200 futures index stood at 1,112.46, down 60.24 points (5.13%) from the previous day's closing price.

The KOSDAQ index closed at 1,111.09, down 18.73 points (1.66%). Foreign investors were net buyers, purchasing 230.3 billion won. Meanwhile, individual investors and institutions were net sellers, offloading 7.5 billion won and 255.1 billion won respectively.

By sector, general services (-5.52%), pharmaceuticals (-5.36%), entertainment & culture (-3.82%), non-metallics (-2.25%), and transportation & storage (-2.00%) declined.