Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix shares tumble over 9% as chip rout spreads from Wall Street

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix shares plummeted more than 7% in early Thursday trading, extending a tech selloff that began on Wall Street after the Nasdaq Composite slumped overnight. The sharp decline dragged South Korea's benchmark Kospi index lower as contagion from U.S. chip weakness spread to Asian markets.

Samsung Electronics fell over 9% during the session, while SK Hynix (SSNLF) also dropped more than 9% at its steepest point. The rout followed pressure on U.S. semiconductor names, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq's overnight weakness spilling into Asian trading hours. Both Korean memory chip giants faced heavy selling as traders unwound risk across the global semiconductor supply chain.

The synchronized decline across markets underscores the tight correlation between U.S. and Asian chip equities. Memory chip makers remain particularly vulnerable to sentiment shifts given their cyclical exposure and concentration in global technology supply chains.