South Korean stocks were hammered on Tuesday as a global sell-off in chipmakers sent technology heavyweights sharply lower, with rising competition from China and a steep fall in SK Hynix's US-listed shares weighing heavily on investor sentiment.
The benchmark Kospi plunged 690.11 points, or 10.22%, to 6,065.64. The steep decline triggered "sidecar" trading curbs on both the Kospi and the junior Kosdaq index, temporarily halting programme trading.