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Thu, 13 Aug 2026

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 'I lost $14,000 in a month': Investors hit by Korean stock market's wild swings

Some traders are reeling from heavy losses after a brutal correction in South Korea's stock market.

* Yongjoon Kim, a bank worker, lost 20 million Korean won ($14,000; £10,500) on the South Korean stock market in July due to a sharp correction in tech stocks.
* The value of his investments had increased significantly earlier in the year, but then slumped by around 25% in July.
* Kim's money was meant to help buy a home as he is getting married later this year, and the loss will be a significant setback for him and his fiancée.
* Many other South Korean investors have also been affected by the market correction, with an estimated 1.2 million personal investor accounts facing margin calls by the end of July.
* Some investors had "gone all in" on tech stocks, using leverage to control larger amounts of money, which has increased their losses when the market turned against them.
* The volatility in South Korea's stock market is also affecting other markets around the world, with some traders and analysts warning that the impact could be felt globally.
* Despite the losses, many investors are optimistic that the market will recover and that they can wait out the current downturn.