![[CAPTIONS]
The Kospi, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix share prices are displayed in the dealing room at Hana Bank's headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 8th, when the Kospi and Kosdaq plunged and circuit breakers were triggered one after another. That day the Kospi closed at 7,484.41, down 676.18 points (8.29%) from the previous session, while the Kosdaq finished at 911.39, down 91.05 points (9.08%), and the won-dollar exchange rate traded around 1,535 won. Reporter Cho Tae-hyung - Seoul Economic Daily Finance News from South Korea](https://wimg.sedaily.com/news/cms/2026/06/08/news-p.v1.20260608.6b18818a842645d694d894b84133bc1c_P1.jpg "KOSPI Sheds 554 Trillion Won in Market Cap on 'Black Monday'")
South Korea's stock market suffered a "Black Monday" on Monday, with the main bourse's market capitalization evaporating by more than 554 trillion won in a single day. As the KOSPI plunged more than 8%, total market value retreated to a level last seen 11 trading days earlier. Major chipmakers including Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) and SK hynix (000660.KS) also slipped in global market-cap rankings.
According to the Korea Exchange (KRX) on Tuesday, the previous day's market capitalization of the main bourse stood at 6,131.3079 trillion won. That marked a decline of 554.2512 trillion won in a single day from 6,685.5591 trillion won on the 5th of this month. The market's capitalization retreated to its lowest level in 11 trading days since the 20th of last month, when it had fallen to 5,093.8825 trillion won.
The market capitalization of Samsung Electronics, which carries the largest weighting in the KOSPI, also fell sharply. Samsung Electronics' market cap continued to decline after reaching a peak of 2,107.5834 trillion won on the 2nd of this month, dropping to 1,727.5753 trillion won on Monday. While it had entered the top 10 among global listed companies at that time, the previous day's plunge pushed it to 11th place, ceding its position to Tesla.
SK hynix, which had become the third company in Asia and the second in Korea to join the $1 trillion market-cap club, also exited. Over the same period, SK hynix's market cap shrank to 1,361.9742 trillion won, falling to around $889 billion.
The market-wide decline was also broad. On Monday, 876 stocks fell on the KOSPI. That was the highest number since the record 891 decliners set in 2022. The KOSPI closed down 676.18 points, or 8.29%, from the previous trading day. It was the second-largest drop on record, following the 698.37-point, 12.06% decline recorded on March 4, just after the outbreak of war between the United States and Iran.
Investor sentiment also froze sharply. The KOSPI 200 Volatility Index (VKOSPI), known as the "Korean fear gauge," recorded 76.63 that day. It was the second-highest level after the 80.37 reading on March 4. The VKOSPI is an index that reflects expected volatility over the next 30 days as priced into KOSPI 200 options, and a reading above 50 is typically interpreted as a period of significant market anxiety.
