KOSPI Ends 1.24% Lower at 5,937.66 After Samsung Update
Published on 10/29/2026 at 22:45 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWSKOSPI Gives Back Six Thousand
- The KOSPI closed at 5,937.66 on October 29, down 74.78 points or 1.24 percent.
- The index reversed after Samsung Electronics reported record third-quarter results without detailing its broader shareholder-return plan.
- SK hynix gained 2.62 percent after its own record results and expanded shareholder-return program supported semiconductor sentiment.
- Institutional selling weighed on the market, while the KOSPI had reached 6,100.11 during the session.
The KOSPI ended Thursday's session below 6,000 after an early rally lost momentum following Samsung Electronics' third-quarter update. The benchmark index closed at 5,937.66 on October 29, down 74.78 points, or 1.24 percent, from the previous session. It had climbed as high as 6,100.11 before turning lower.
The closing figure and the session's main market drivers were reported by Yonhap News Agency. The report said the KOSPI opened slightly higher after the Federal Reserve held its benchmark rate at 3.75 percent to 4 percent, tracking gains on Wall Street. The market turned lower shortly before 10 a.m. Seoul time after Samsung's earnings release.
Samsung Results Shift Market Focus
Samsung Electronics reported third-quarter operating profit of 107.44 trillion won, up 783.1 percent from a year earlier, while revenue rose 126.9 percent to 195.25 trillion won. The company cited robust artificial-intelligence-driven chip demand. However, investors were disappointed by the lack of detailed information on the remaining elements of Samsung's 2026 shareholder-return plan.
Samsung Electronics shares fell 4.13 percent to 232,000 won. The Seoul Economic Daily reported that Samsung announced a third-quarter cash dividend of 30 trillion won, while further details on its broader return program were deferred to a board review expected in January 2027. That uncertainty contrasted with the scale of the returns investors had anticipated.
Chip Rally Becomes More Selective
SK hynix provided a counterweight to the weakness in Samsung. Its shares rose 2.62 percent to 1.526 million won after the company reported record third-quarter revenue of 104.61 trillion won and operating profit of 83.33 trillion won on October 28. SK hynix also announced an additional 60 trillion won shareholder-return plan, following a 40 trillion won program completed the previous week. Its total planned 2026 shareholder returns exceed 100 trillion won, according to Yonhap's report on the company's results.
Market breadth weakened, with 593 advancers against 270 decliners, while institutions sold a net 446.9 billion won. Foreign investors and individuals were net buyers, but their purchases did not offset institutional selling. The KOSPI's decline followed a 6.63 percent surge on October 28, when chip stocks rallied on SK hynix's results and shareholder-return announcement.
For further KOSPI coverage, see the KOSPI topic page.
