South Korea’s stock market in meltdown amid US-Iran war

Al JazeeraCenterEN 2 min read 100% complete by John PowerMarch 4, 2026 at 07:19 AM

AI Summary

medium article 2 min

On March 4, 2026, South Korea's KOSPI stock market index experienced a significant drop, plummeting as much as 12.2 percent due to the escalating US-Israeli conflict with Iran. This decline surpassed the market's reaction to the 9/11 attacks. Trading was temporarily halted after losses exceeded 8 percent, triggering a circuit breaker. The market's downturn was broad, impacting major corporations like Samsung and LG, with shipping and logistics companies suffering the most due to disruptions in oil transport through the Strait of Hormuz. South Korea's heavy reliance on foreign oil and gas contributed to investor anxiety. This sharp decline follows a period of strong growth for the KOSPI in early 2026.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

United States Energy Information Administration 30% KSS Line 40% Pan Ocean 40% HMM 40% LG Electronics 50% Samsung Electronics 50% SK Hynix 50% Strait of Hormuz 60% KOSPI ×370% Iran ×480% United States ×480% South Korea ×490%

Keywords

us-iran war 80% stock market meltdown 70% kospi index 60% strait of hormuz 50% us-china-russia tensions 40% oil prices 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative

Score: -0.70

Source Transparency

Source

Al Jazeera

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

South Korea

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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us-iran war stock market meltdown kospi index strait of hormuz us-china-russia tensions oil prices

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