South Korean shares closed lower for a second day on Wednesday after foreign investors continued their sell-off of Korean equities, and fresh tensions on the U.S.-Iran front made investors pessimistic about a peace pact anytime soon.
The Korea Composite Stock Price Index or Kospi decreased by 62.71 points, or 0.9%, to end at 7,208.95. The Kosdaq also declined by 28.29 points, or 2.6%, to close at 1,056.07.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Washington could launch new strikes on Iran as early as next week if negotiations could not resolve the conflict and if Tehran continues to refuse the considerable concessions he wants before a deal can be framed to end the war.
In retaliation, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened to extend a revived war beyond the Middle East if the US again began attacks against Tehran.
In corporate news, Samsung Electro-Mechanics (KRX:009150) secured a supply agreement for silicon capacitors from an undisclosed client. The contract, valued at 1.56 trillion won, is valid till Dec. 31, 2028.
Shares of the company jumped nearly 8% at market close.
In other news, South Korea's main equity exchange, the Korea Exchange, is planning to launch weekly options on single stocks from June, expiring on Thursdays.
The exchange is also gearing up to launch monthly and weekly exchange-traded fund (ETF) derivatives later in 2026, while expanding weekly options expiries for the Kospi 200 and Kosdaq 150 indexes to Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from the current schedule of Mondays and Thursdays.