Key facts
- The KOSPI closed down 40.84 points, or 0.81%, at 5,018.85 on Monday, November 9, 2026.
- Foreigners and retail investors were net sellers of a combined 1.18 trillion won; institutions bought a net 717.1 billion won.
- Samsung Electronics rose 0.64% to 189,900 won and SK hynix added 0.35% to 1,136,000 won.
- LG Energy Solution fell 5.78% to 318,000 won and Hyundai Motor lost 2.86% to 271,500 won.
- Nvidia said it will open an internal probe into CEO Jensen Huang's alleged affair with a suspected Chinese spy, per Yonhap.
Seoul stocks closed lower on Monday, November 9, 2026, with the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) down 40.84 points, or 0.81%, at 5,018.85, Yonhap News Agency reported. The index had opened down 0.5% at 5,034.2, then reversed to trade up 84.21 points, or 1.66%, at 5,143.9 late in the morning before turning lower again.
Yonhap said investors were weighing uncertainties in the artificial intelligence sector, including an internal probe at Nvidia Corp. following allegations its chief was targeted by a Chinese spy. Nvidia said in a statement on Sunday, U.S. time, that it would open an internal probe into CEO Jensen Huang's alleged affair with a suspected Chinese spy, according to the report. In a message to employees, Huang admitted to being unfaithful to his wife and took "full responsibility" for his actions.
Trade volume was light at 231.8 million shares worth 17.26 trillion won ($12.8 billion), with losers outnumbering winners 527 to 340. Foreigners and retail investors were net sellers, offloading a combined net 1.18 trillion won, while institutional investors bought a net 717.1 billion won.
"Investors were searching for direction while bargain hunting continued in semiconductors," Lee Kyoung-min, an analyst from Daishin Securities, said, according to Yonhap. Semiconductors recovered some ground as concerns over the future of AI data centers following the Democrats' sweeping victory in the U.S. midterms eased, but the Nvidia matter caused fresh jitters, he added.
Among large caps, Samsung Electronics rose 0.64% to 189,900 won and SK hynix added 0.35% to 1,136,000 won. LG Energy Solution fell 5.78% to 318,000 won, Hyundai Motor lost 2.86% to 271,500 won and Hanwha Aerospace dropped 3.18% to 639,000 won. The won was quoted at 1,347.1 per U.S. dollar as of 3:30 p.m., up 9.5 won from the previous session's close, and the three-year Treasury yield rose 2.6 basis points to 3.639%.