On March 9, 2026, South Korea's benchmark Composite Index, the KOSPI, experienced a sharp decline of over 7%, prompting a temporary halt in trading. Notably, tech giants Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix saw their shares tumble by more than 7%, while Hyundai Motor and other companies suffered even steeper drops, exceeding 9%. This market turmoil came in the wake of a dramatic spike in global oil prices, with WTI crude oil futures surging by over 20% at one point.
