South Korean Stocks Decline Amid Tech Volatility and US-Iran Tensions

South Korean stocks were trading lower late Thursday morning amid continuing volatility surrounding major technology shares and concerns over escalating tensions between the United States and Iran.

After choppy trading, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) had fallen 124.91 points, or 1.62 percent, to 7,605.91 as of 11:20 a.m. The index had started nearly 3 percent lower.

Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 1.87 percent lower, the S&P 500 fell 1.62 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite shed 1.98 percent, as investors unloaded tech shares as woes brewed over the high valuation of artificial intelligence (AI) stocks.

AI chip giant Nvidia dipped 3.73 percent, Broadcom slid 5.12 percent, Super Micro Computer tumbled 28 percent, and AMD dropped 4.86 percent.

Market sentiment was also weighed down by news that the U.S. launched additional strikes against Iran, and the latter threatened to fire on any vessel attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which brewed concerns the two countries may reenter a full-scale war.

The U.S. Consumer Price Index for May, key inflation data that drew investors' attention, was softer than expected, but was not enough to soothe concerns over a possible hawkish policy pivot by the U.S. Federal Reserve, said Seo Sang-young, an analyst at Mirae Asset Securities.

In Seoul, market top-cap Samsung Electronics lost 1.49 percent, while its chipmaking rival SK hynix gained 0.63 percent.

Samsung Electro-Mechanics dipped 3.38 percent, and SK Group backtracked 2.76 percent.

Top automaker Hyundai Motor slipped 4.32 percent, and its sister Kia contracted 5.51 percent. Auto parts manufacturer Hyundai Mobis also dropped 4.04 percent.

Leading battery maker LG Energy Solution lost 1.69 percent, and its smaller rival Samsung SDI went down 3.42 percent.

Power plant manufacturer Doosan Enerbility decreased 5.38 percent, and defense giant Hanwha Aerospace plunged 5.43 percent.

The Korean won was trading at 1,528 won against the U.S. dollar at 11:20 a.m., down 3.8 won from the previous session.