On the Korean peninsula, balance is a fundamental principle of everyday life.

As a cultural belief, yin and yang — eum and yang in Korean — are so ingrained in the national psyche that they are incorporated into South Korea’s national flag.

The balancing blue and red flows within a circle — the balance between positive and negative cosmic forces — explain the natural order and the cycle of life.

On the streets of Seoul and across the country, however, there is little sense of balance right now.

Fear and angst have gripped a population in the throes of the worst stock market crash in the nation’s history.

In the past five weeks, the market has collapsed, shedding almost 40 per cent, and threatening the livelihood of millions of South…