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According to the Korea Exchange, at 9:10:26 AM, due to a sharp decline in the KOSPI 200 futures index, a program sell order halt, commonly known as a 'circuit breaker,' was activated in the securities market. With the activation of the circuit breaker, the effectiveness of program sell orders was suspended for 5 minutes.

At the time of the circuit breaker activation, the KOSPI 200 futures index fell 60.92 points (5.22%) to 1,104.40 compared to the previous trading day's close. The sell-side circuit breaker in the securities market is automatically activated when the KOSPI 200 futures index falls by 5% or more and remains at that level for 1 minute. It is a safety mechanism to temporarily cushion market impact from rapid program trading.

At the same time, the KOSPI index fell 4.69% to 6,942.52 compared to the previous trading day, and the KOSDAQ index also fell 2.52% to trade at 808.56. Even after the circuit breaker activation, KOSPI failed to reduce its decline and continued to fall by over 5%.

From the moment of opening, the market showed concerning movements. KOSPI opened at 6,960.50, down 323.91 points (4.45%) from the previous session, while the KOSDAQ index started at 813.32, down 16.11 points (1.94%). The dealing room display at Hana Bank in Jung-gu, Seoul was filled with red numbers, and tension was evident among market participants.

The activation of the sell-side circuit breaker demonstrates that strong selling pressure concentrated in the market. Large-scale automatic sell orders through program trading poured in and dragged down the index, prompting the exchange to immediately apply the brakes for market stabilization. Nevertheless, the decline is not easily subsiding, making it difficult for investor anxiety to be resolved in a short period of time.

KOSPI's sharp decline of over 5% at the beginning of trading is an exceptional occurrence, sending strong shockwaves throughout the market. Market attention is focused on investors' further movements and the index's trend.