NewTimeSpace News:Hit by Middle East tensions, South Korea's stock market—this year's "world's strongest equity market"—cooled rapidly. At the March 4th open, the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) plunged as much as 6% before oscillating. The KOSPI 200 Index Futures fell 5%, triggering a 5-minute suspension of program trading.Xtrackers MSCI Korea UCITS ETF(02848.HK) dropped 3% at the open, extending its correction for a second consecutive day.

HKEX data shows thatXtrackers MSCI Korea UCITS ETF(02848.HK) tracks the MSCI Korea 20/35 Custom Index, a "capped index" designed by MSCI to comply with EU UCITS fund regulations. While maintaining representation and investability across South Korea's large- and mid-cap equity market, it employs hard weight caps to reduce single-company concentration risk. SK Hynix, Samsung Electronics, NAVER, Hyundai Motor, and Shinhan Financial Group are among the top ten constituents.

The previous day, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix shares had already plummeted 9.88% and 11.5%, respectively. The Kospi index crashed over 7% that day, marking its worst single-day performance since August 2024. This sharp decline followed a period of elevated valuations for the Korean market. As the best-performing global stock index in 2026, the Kospi had surged as much as 50% year-to-date by end-February, but retreated to 37% after Tuesday's sell-off.

According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korea's Trade Minister stated Tuesday that following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling invalidating Washington's "reciprocal" tariffs, American tariff policy continues to evolve. The Korean government will focus on reducing trade risks facing domestic enterprises. Seoul will maintain close consultations with Washington with national interests as the top priority, while working to mitigate trade risks and reduce uncertainty for Korean companies.

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