02.04.202602:44:46UTC+00South Korean Stocks Slip Post Trump Speech

The benchmark KOSPI dropped 3.87% to around 5,268 on Thursday, erasing the previous session’s gains as renewed geopolitical risks unsettled investors. Risk sentiment deteriorated after Donald Trump said in a public address that the US is “nearing completion” of its military objectives in the Middle East and vowed to “finish the job” in the near term. He warned that over the next two to three weeks, the US could strike Iranian targets “extremely hard” and potentially “bring them back to the Stone Age,” including energy infrastructure, if no agreement is reached.

Economic data further weighed on the market. South Korea’s consumer prices rose 2.2% in March, exceeding the 2% target, driven by a 9.9% surge in petroleum prices—the steepest increase since October 2022. Major decliners included Samsung Electronics (-5.27%), SK Hynix (-5.26%), Hyundai Motor (-4.41%), and Doosan Enerbility (-4.82%).