In South Korea’s regular trading session on August 3, 2026, the KOSPI plunged 5.12%, while the KOSDAQ rose 2.44%. Samsung Electronics and SK hynix each fell more than 8%, but Hyundai Motor gained 1.29%, showing sharply divergent moves not only between the indexes but also among the stocks tracked here.

KOSPI Closes at 6,257.45 Points, While KOSDAQ Ends Higher

Index August 3, 2026 Close August 3, 2026 Change
KOSPI 6,257.45 points -338.00 points (-5.12%)
KOSDAQ 737.35 points +17.59 points (+2.44%)

The KOSPI closed the regular session on August 3, 2026, at 6,257.45 points, down 338.00 points, or 5.12%. On the same trading day, it opened at 6,358.27 points, reached an intraday high of 6,393.00 points, and recorded an intraday low of 6,223.29 points. The close was 100.82 points below the open and 34.16 points above the intraday low. The difference between the intraday high and low was 169.71 points on August 3, 2026. KOSPI closing data

The KOSDAQ closed the regular session on August 3, 2026, at 737.35 points, up 17.59 points, or 2.44%. On the same trading day, it opened at 709.99 points, reached an intraday high of 757.60 points, and recorded an intraday low of 705.07 points. The close was 27.36 points above the open but 20.25 points below the intraday high. KOSDAQ closing data

The gap between the two indexes’ percentage changes on August 3, 2026, was 7.56 percentage points. The KOSPI closing below its open and the KOSDAQ closing above its open show that the two markets followed different paths during the regular session. This is an editorial interpretation based on a comparison of opening, high, low, and closing prices; it does not identify the cause of the KOSPI’s decline or the KOSDAQ’s rise.

Samsung Electronics and SK hynix Both Fall More Than 8%

Samsung Electronics closed the regular session on August 3, 2026, at 239,500 won, down 23,000 won, or 8.76%. Its opening price and intraday high were both 259,000 won, while its intraday low was 238,000 won. The close was 1,500 won above the intraday low, and trading volume on August 3, 2026, was 46,379,686 shares. Samsung Electronics closing data Previous stock analysis is available through the Samsung Electronics stock hub.

SK hynix closed the regular session on August 3, 2026, at 1,567,000 won, down 151,000 won, or 8.79%. On the same trading day, it opened at 1,655,000 won, reached an intraday high of 1,692,000 won, and recorded an intraday low of 1,562,000 won, with trading volume of 8,274,241 shares. The close was 88,000 won below the open and 5,000 won above the intraday low. SK hynix closing data Previous coverage is available through the SK hynix stock hub.

On August 3, 2026, the declines in Samsung Electronics and SK hynix exceeded the KOSPI’s decline by 3.64 percentage points and 3.67 percentage points, respectively. Both stocks closed near their intraday lows, and the KOSPI also declined that day. However, these simultaneous moves alone are not enough to conclude that the two stocks accounted for the KOSPI’s entire decline or that a single shared factor determined their prices.

Hyundai Motor Rises, While SK Square Limits Its Decline

Hyundai Motor closed the regular session on August 3, 2026, at 393,000 won, up 5,000 won, or 1.29%. On the same trading day, it opened at 381,000 won, reached an intraday high of 401,500 won, and recorded an intraday low of 376,000 won, with trading volume of 1,247,253 shares. The close was 12,000 won above the open, and the stock ended the session moving in the opposite direction from the KOSPI. Hyundai Motor closing data Related analysis is available through the Hyundai Motor stock hub.

SK Square closed the regular session on August 3, 2026, at 1,025,000 won, down 13,000 won, or 1.25%. On the same trading day, it opened at 1,003,000 won, reached an intraday high of 1,072,000 won, and recorded an intraday low of 991,000 won, with trading volume of 1,136,142 shares. Although the stock declined from the previous trading day’s close, its August 3, 2026 close was 22,000 won above the open. SK Square closing data Previous coverage is available through the SK Square stock hub.

Hyundai Motor’s gain on August 3, 2026, was 6.41 percentage points higher than the KOSPI’s return, while SK Square’s decline was 3.87 percentage points smaller than the KOSPI’s. This is solely a comparison of the tracked stocks’ relative closing-price performance and does not mean that Hyundai Motor and SK Square had separate positive catalysts.

Retail Investors Buy Net, While Foreign and Institutional Investors Sell Net

Investor trading data for August 3, 2026, showed that retail investors bought a net 46,527 hundred million won, while foreign investors sold a net 28,262 hundred million won and institutional investors sold a net 19,475 hundred million won. The simultaneous net selling by foreign and institutional investors and net buying by retail investors occurred on the same trading day as the KOSPI’s decline. However, these investor-flow figures alone cannot fully explain the KOSPI’s 338.00-point decline or the moves in individual stocks. Investor trading data

Yonhap News reported that simultaneous net selling by foreign and institutional investors and profit-taking contributed to the KOSPI’s weakness on August 3, 2026, while the KOSDAQ rebounded. This is the market interpretation presented in the report; closing data alone cannot establish that profit-taking directly caused the KOSPI’s 5.12% decline. Original Yonhap News report

A report published early in the session also said that foreign and institutional investors were net sellers on August 3, 2026, while retail investors held a net buying position. However, because that report covered conditions during the regular session, the index levels cited early in the day should not be treated as identical to the regular-session closing levels at 3:30 p.m. Original Electronic Times report

Three Items to Watch in the Next Regular Session

  • It will be necessary to see where the KOSPI forms its next regular-session close relative to its August 3, 2026 close of 6,257.45 points and intraday low of 6,223.29 points. At the same time, whether the KOSDAQ continues moving in the opposite direction from the KOSPI relative to its August 3, 2026 close of 737.35 points will provide another point of comparison.

  • It will be important to see whether Samsung Electronics’ August 3, 2026 close of 239,500 won and SK hynix’s close of 1,567,000 won on the same trading day move away from their respective intraday lows of 238,000 won and 1,562,000 won. Another item to monitor is whether Hyundai Motor’s 1.29% gain and SK Square’s 1.25% decline on August 3, 2026, maintain their relative differences from the KOSPI.

  • It will be necessary to monitor how the direction of retail investors’ net buying of 46,527 hundred million won, foreign investors’ net selling of 28,262 hundred million won, and institutional investors’ net selling of 19,475 hundred million won on August 3, 2026, changes in the next regular session. This is not a basis for predicting the next trading day’s rise or decline or recommending trades, but a checkpoint for observing the relationship between closing prices and investor flows.