South Korea's Kospi plunges 8%, trading halted in Seoul

South Korea's Kospi index plunged over 8% in early trading Friday, prompting a 20-minute trading halt in Seoul amid a global tech stock selloff triggered by US losses. The selloff follows Democratic victories in US midterm elections, raising fears of stricter AI regulation and slower data center expansion. Chipmakers SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics fell 11% and 8%, respectively, while Japan's Nikkei dropped 6.5%. US markets closed sharply lower Thursday, with the Nasdaq down 5.5%. European markets showed modest losses, with Switzerland's SMI opening 1.83% lower, though analysts noted the reaction was relatively restrained.