Seoul: South Korean stocks narrowed losses late Friday morning, but major tech shares continued to trade lower amid investor concerns over a potential bubble in the artificial intelligence (AI) industry. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 83.01 points, or 1.61 percent, to 5,080.56 as of 11:20 a.m.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the decline came as investors cashed in profits amid recent concerns about the profitability of major AI-related shares on Wall Street. In Seoul, Samsung Electronics fell 1.26 percent, and SK hynix lost 1.07 percent.
Leading carmaker Hyundai Motor slipped 4.2 percent, while its sister Kia shed 1.73 percent. Netmarble, a game developer, shot up 12.6 percent after reporting record-breaking sales for the fourth quarter of 2025 the previous day.
The Korean won was trading at 1,467.9 won against the U.S. dollar at 11:20 a.m., up 1.1 won from the previous session.