The KOSPI closed at 5,593.56, down 69.68 points, or 1.23%, after briefly attempting to reclaim the 6,000-point threshold earlier in the session. The KOSPI has now dropped 1,162.19 points, or 17%, over the past three trading sessions alone. The tech-heavy KOSDAQ index fared even worse Thursday, closing at 644.78, down 17.90 points, or 2.70%, marking its own third consecutive daily decline. The session's central paradox centered on Samsung Electronics, which reported record second-quarter earnings but still could not lift the broader index. Thursday's session capped a month of extraordinary volatility for Korean equity markets more broadly.