Seoul, March 3, 2026, 20:22 (KST) — The market is closed.
- Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) tumbled 9.88%, finishing Tuesday’s session at 195,100 won.
- Brent crude surged close to 6%, landing near $82.68 per barrel, with traders rattled by the Iran conflict and fresh supply concerns.
- Samsung’s annual general meeting is set for March 18.
Shares of Samsung Electronics tumbled 9.88%, finishing Tuesday at 195,100 won, while the KOSPI index gave up 7.24% to settle at 5,791.91. SK Hynix, competing in the memory-chip space, lost 11.5%.
This move hits a stock already shouldering much of South Korea’s market gains. Driven by surging chipmakers, the KOSPI broke through the 6,000 mark for the first time on Feb. 25, with investors piling in on AI enthusiasm, according to Reuters.
Tuesday saw shares slide, following a day when Seoul markets were closed for a holiday. “The main index experienced expanded volatility as the Middle East risk was realized after a long weekend,” said Roh Dong-gil, analyst at Shinhan Securities. Korea Joongang Daily
KOSPI 200 futures slid over 5%, tripping a “sidecar” and temporarily stopping program sell orders—those automated trades that can magnify swings. Foreign investors dumped 5.18 trillion won in shares as individuals took the other side, buying in, according to Seoul Economic Daily. Seoul Economic Daily
Stocks took a hit worldwide on Tuesday, not only in Korea, with investors watching the fallout from the Iran war and its effect on energy markets. Oil jumped as worries flared over possible supply snags near the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Associated Press.
The won tumbled too, ending the session at 1,466.1 against the dollar. Now, traders are watching to see if it pushes toward 1,480—a level many view as a psychological threshold—according to Korea JoongAng Daily, which cited market participants and banks’ scenario ranges.
Foreign investors have been offloading shares, dumping about 5.17 trillion won on the KOSPI and notching up a nine-session selling streak. The VKOSPI—Korea’s so-called fear gauge tied to options volatility—surged past 60, according to Seoul Economic Daily. Shin Joong-ho, who heads LS Securities Research Center, described the war as “merely a trigger” for markets that had already outpaced themselves on ETF-driven basket trades. Seoul Economic Daily
Samsung shares swung sharply during the session, starting off at 209,500 won before dipping to 195,100 won, Yahoo Finance data showed.
Samsung is moving to make all its factories “AI-Driven” by 2030, the company announced, targeting a full shift in manufacturing with digital-twin simulations and specialized AI agents on the production floor. “The next phase of manufacturing innovation lies in building autonomous environments,” said YoungSoo Lee, executive vice president at Samsung Electronics, in a statement. Samsung Global Newsroom
Samsung announced that its 2026 OLED TVs and the new Odyssey gaming monitors will support NVIDIA’s G-SYNC. The feature is designed to cut down on screen tearing and stutter for gamers. “Our goal is simple: deliver a consistently great gaming experience,” said Kevin Lee, executive vice president in Samsung’s visual display business. Samsung Global Newsroom
But near-term, crude and the dollar are setting the tone for the stock. Oil and gas jumped, and the dollar climbed as the conflict appeared likely to drag on for weeks, raising fresh inflation worries, according to Reuters. Strategist Lindsey Bell called it: the market’s eye is “about inflation and oil.” Reuters
Samsung shareholders are watching for action as Seoul trading kicks off Wednesday, March 4, and for shifts in oil prices or the won. Next up: the annual general meeting, set for 9:00 a.m. KST on March 18.
