According to CoinMeta, the South Korean stock market plummeted by nearly 44% within 40 days, with a market value evaporating by nearly $2 trillion. This decline was mainly triggered by two large companies: SK Hynix and Samsung. South Korean authorities have announced plans to stabilize the market, but analysts point out that the sharp rise in the stock market is closely related to a surge in AI demand. From December 2025 to June 2026, the South Korean stock market rose by more than 135%, once climbing to sixth place in the world. SK Hynix and Samsung are the world's largest AI memory chip manufacturers, together accounting for nearly 50% of the South Korean stock market. In addition, there is a high level of leverage in the market; SK Hynix has a leverage ETF of $19 billion, while Samsung has about $12.4 billion in leverage ETF assets. Excessive leverage led to increased market volatility, with trading defaults surging by 300%.