Asian markets today, Nov. 6 -- South Korea's benchmark KOSPI index plunged 8.5% in early trading on Friday, November 6, tracking a sharp sell-off in artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor stocks on Wall Street overnight. Trading on the Korea Exchange was suspended for 20 minutes after the index triggered its first 8% circuit breaker shortly after the market opened.

The steep decline dragged the KOSPI below the 5,000 mark, falling short of the target set by President Lee Jae Myung during his presidential campaign in 2025. The benchmark dropped as much as 8.8% before paring some losses.

The sell-off followed a global market rout on Thursday, which saw the Nasdaq 100 tumble 6.4%, wiping out a record $2.3 trillion in market capitali...