According to Financial News, South Korea's KOSPI index fell 0.73% to close at 6,856.83 on July 14, marking a 24.7% decline over the past three weeks from its June 22 high of 9,114.55.
Profit-taking dominated as large-cap tech stocks retreated sharply. SK Hynix declined 34.4% from its recent peak, while Samsung Electronics fell 25.6%. Short-selling conditions have weakened significantly, with margin lending balances dropping from a record 195.3 trillion Korean won on June 15 to 152.7 trillion won on July 13. Short-selling trading volume also contracted to 1.88 trillion won, down from 4.35 trillion won on June 26.