The KOSPI’s annualized volatility exceeded 60% in 2026, surpassing Bitcoin’s and roughly doubling that of Japan’s Nikkei. On July 16, 2026, the index fell 6.37% in a single session to 6,820.6 points, officially entering a technical bear market, representing a decline of approximately 25% from its June peak. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix together account for over 50% of the KOSPI’s total index weight, exposing the entire South Korean equity market to shifts in AI chip sentiment. South Korean regulators announced measures on July 29 and 30, 2026, including caps on individual investments in single-stock leveraged ETFs and increased trading costs to curb volatility.
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