TradingKey – On August 19, Japanese and South Korean stock markets weakened in tandem in early trading. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) opened down 5% at 6,528.77 points, before losses widened to 6.39%, last standing at 6,430.93 points. Meanwhile, the Korea Exchange activated a Sidecar mechanism to suspend program sell orders for the KOSPI. Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index (JPN225) also opened lower and continued to decline, with its drop expanding to 2.82% at 65,558.27 points.

Source: TradingView

South Korea’s semiconductor sector was the main drag on the broader market. SK Hynix fell 9.03% to 1,512,000 won (about $1,073), while Samsung Electronics dropped 7.26% to 249,000 won.

Japanese tech stocks also faced noticeable selling…