South Korean shares fall over 2% on heightening West Asia conflict

South Korean shares fell more than 2 per cent on Wednesday, as worries mounted over rising hostilities in West Asia. The benchmark KOSPI was down 194.09 points, or 2.40 per cent, at 7,902.84, as of 01:38 GMT. The United States on Tuesday launched strikes against Iran after President Donald Trump said Tehran had shot down a US Apache helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz, deepening doubts over a potential peace deal and further straining a fragile ceasefire. South Korea’s finance minister agreed with other top economic policymakers to closely monitor risks around increased volatility in financial markets and its impact on various sectors, the ministry said. Among index heavyweights, chipmaker Samsung Electronics fell 4.35 per cent, while peer SK Hynix lost 3.70 per cent. Battery maker LG Energy Solution slid 0.76 per cent. Hyundai Motor and sister automaker Kia Corp were down 2.50 per cent and 0.24 per cent, respectively. Steelmaker POSCO Holdings added 0.55 per cent, while drugmaker Samsung BioLogics fell 0.46 per cent. Of the total 919 traded issues, 443 shares advanced, while 431 declined. Foreigners were net sellers of shares worth 1.9 trillion won ($1.25 billion). The won was quoted at 1,519.4 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform, 0.88 per cent higher than its previous close at 1,532.7. South Korea’s central bank and financial watchdog are conducting on-site inspections from Wednesday on disturbing behaviour in the currency market, the finance ministry said. In money and debt markets, June futures on three-year treasury bonds were unchanged at 103.01. The most liquid three-year Korean treasury bond yield rose by 1.5 basis points to 3.920 per cent, while the benchmark 10-year yield rose by 3.0 basis points to 4.302 per cent. Published on June 10, 2026