Asian tech stocks slump on chip selloff

South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI fell roughly 3.5% on June 26, 2026, as renewed selling in semiconductor stocks pressured the broader market. The decline was concentrated in major chipmakers, which carry significant weight in the index and amplified the downside move during the session.

SK Hynix dropped by more than 3% during the selloff, reflecting investors’ reduced appetite for semiconductor exposure. Samsung Electronics also declined around 3%, adding to the drag on the KOSPI and underscoring the broad pressure across leading Korean technology names.

Losses were not limited to the largest chipmakers. Technology-focused investment holding company SK Square traded down around 7%, extending the declines across the sector. LG Electronics and Seoul Semiconductor also moved lower, pointing to selling that extended beyond pure memory and chip manufacturing.

The breadth of the drop across hardware, component, and investment-focused technology stocks indicated a generalized risk-off stance toward Korea’s tech complex, rather than company-specific reactions. This sector-wide move contributed to the sharp index-level fall in the KOSPI.

The slump in Korean technology shares occurred against a backdrop of broader weakness across Asia’s tech sector. In Japan, SoftBank Group plunged more than 12% on June 26, leading losses among major regional technology stocks and highlighting investor concern toward high-profile tech and investment platforms.

The decline in SoftBank coincided with drops in other Asian semiconductor and electronics names, including South Korea’s SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics. The synchronous moves across markets suggested that regional technology stocks were responding to common external pressures rather than isolated domestic developments.

Asian trading followed a negative lead from U.S. markets, where the Nasdaq Composite fell for a fourth consecutive session overnight. The tech-heavy index slipped 0.46% as a 6% decline in Apple (AAPL) overshadowed stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings from Micron (MU).

The contrasting market response to Apple (AAPL)’s share-price fall and Micron (MU)’s earnings strength highlighted persistent caution toward large-cap technology exposure. This cautious backdrop in U.S. trading framed the moves in Asia, where investors reduced positions in chipmakers and broader tech names, contributing to the KOSPI’s slide and the sharp fall in SoftBank.