"Wow, Trump... Restoring the 25% Tariff" Retail Investors Who Went All-In on Hyundai Motor on Edge

[Financial News] U.S. President Donald Trump announced on the 26th (local time) that he will raise tariffs on imports from Korea from 15% to 25%. The move is being seen as a "major blow" by individual investors who had been propping up the index by heavily buying large-cap Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) stocks such as Hyundai Motor Company, and tension is rising among them.

According to the Korea Exchange (KRX) on the 27th, the Korea Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (KOSDAQ) closed at 1,064.41 points, up 70.48 points (7.09%) from the previous trading day. In contrast, the KOSPI ended the session at 4,949.59, down 40.48 points (0.81%) from the day before.
The KOSDAQ rally that day was driven by institutional funds. Institutional investors became net sellers of 1.5425 trillion won in KOSPI stocks in just one day, while turning net buyers of 2.5997 trillion won in KOSDAQ stocks, pushing the index sharply higher.
Individual investors, on the other hand, were net sellers of 2.908 trillion won in KOSDAQ shares, while they were net buyers of 1.7146 trillion won in KOSPI shares.
For individuals, buying in the KOSPI was concentrated in the large leading stocks that had been lifting the index.
In the KOSPI, they focused their purchases on semiconductor, shipbuilding, and nuclear power names such as SK hynix (620.1 billion won), Samsung Electronics (255.4 billion won), Hyundai Motor Company (192.9 billion won), Doosan Enerbility (144 billion won), and Hanwha Ocean (85.1 billion won).

However, with Donald Trump announcing on the 26th (local time) that he will raise tariffs on imports from Korea from 15% to 25%, tension is mounting ahead of the market open.
Foreign media including Cable News Network (CNN) and Consumer News and Business Channel (CNBC) reported that Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea is failing to implement a trade agreement with the United States, and that he will raise tariffs on products such as automobiles, pharmaceuticals, and lumber to 25%.
He wrote, "On July 30 last year, I reached a great agreement with President Lee Jae-myung that was good for both countries, and I reaffirmed it when I visited Korea on October 29," then pointedly asked, "But why has the National Assembly not approved it?"
Trump stated, "The National Assembly of the Republic of Korea has not ratified the historic trade agreement that would be a privilege for them," and declared, "Therefore, we are raising reciprocal tariffs on Korea's automobiles, lumber, pharmaceuticals, and other products from 15% to 25%."
CNN reported that it was unclear whether the newly announced tariff hike would take effect immediately.
newssu@fnnews.com Kim Su-yeon Reporter