KOSPI Plunges 28% in One Month to 6,516, South Korea's Worst Performance Among G20 Nations

According to Asia Economy, South Korea's KOSPI index plummeted 28% in just one month, collapsing from 9,300 on June 19 to 6,516 on July 20. The sharp decline far outpaced other major markets; the U.S. S&P 500 fell 0.6%, Taiwan's index dropped 8.2%, and Japan's Nikkei 225 declined 10% over the same period, making South Korea's performance the worst among 46 surveyed countries, including all G20 and OECD members.

The crash stemmed from semiconductor sector concerns, including peak-cycle warnings, dampened global AI investment following China's AI model release, and U.S.-Iran geopolitical tensions. Securities analysts project the KOSPI may trade within a range, with support identified around 6,000 based on forward price-to-book ratios of 1.3 to 1.4 times.