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Kospi opens lower amid prospects for U.S.-Iran peace talks

Published: 26 Mar. 2026, 09:55

A screen in Hana Bank's trading room in central Seoul shows the Kospi trading on March 26. [YONHAP]

Shares opened lower Thursday, as investors weigh the prospects for peace talks between the United States and Iran.

The benchmark Kospi fell 80.19 points, or 1.42 percent, to 5,562.02.

Major stock indexes on Wall Street closed higher overnight, lifted by optimism over U.S.-Iran ceasefire discussions, after the White House said talks with Tehran are progressing.

The S&P500 closed 0.54 percent higher, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 0.77 percent.

But geopolitical uncertainties still linger as Iran's foreign minister acknowledged Washington has sent multiple "messages," yet denied having negotiations, in a televised interview.

In Seoul, most large-cap shares were trading lower.

Chip giant Samsung Electronics declined 2.65 percent, while its chipmaking rival SK hynix fell 3.62 percent.

Investors' appetite for the two chipmakers declined, amid prospects that Google's latest AI compression algorithm, TurboQuant, could reduce demand for memory chips.

Top carmaker Hyundai Motor slid 1.3 percent and portal operator Naver inched down 0.23 percent, but defense giant Hanwha Aerospace added 0.36 percent.

The local currency weakened 4.5 won to trade at 1,504.2 won against the dollar as of 9:15 a.m.

Yonhap