03.11.202601:18:39UTC+00South Korean Stocks Fall on AI Spending Concerns

The benchmark KOSPI dropped 2.59% to around 5,706 on Tuesday, giving back gains from the previous session as worries over heavy spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure weighed on technology shares ahead of the US midterm elections. The move tracked overnight weakness on Wall Street, where the Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 declined 1.07% and 0.51%, respectively, pressured by continued selling in AI-related stocks. Additional downward momentum came from major index constituents, including Samsung Electronics (-4.59%), SK Hynix (-5.57%), LG Energy Solution (-2.60%), and Hyundai Motor (-4.18%). At the same time, investors evaluated South Korea’s inflation data, which held elevated at 2.8% in October, easing only marginally from 2.9% in September and reinforcing expectations of a potential interest rate hike at the Bank of Korea’s November policy meeting.