# Bank of Korea

From AI Rally to Market Panic: South Korea's Stock Boom Snaps as Middle East Shock Triggers Triple Circuit-Breakers

South Korea's stock market, which surged on an AI-led rally earlier this year, experienced severe reversals in early March 2026 as renewed Middle East tensions and heavy foreign selling triggered multiple circuit-breakers. The won weakened to levels not seen since 2009, prompting emergency meetings at the Bank of Korea and raising concerns about the country's exposure to oil shocks and capital flight.