Seoul trading halted as KOSPI tumbles more than 8% amid Middle East escalation
South Korea's benchmark KOSPI plunged 8.1% in morning trade, prompting a roughly 20-minute suspension of trading after hitting the index's lower circuit breaker. The sell-off, driven by concerns over a recent escalation in the U.S.-Israel war with Iran and a resulting spike in oil prices, saw major technology and automotive names suffer double-digi…