Hong Seok-cheon screams in shock at the market crash

Entertainer Hong Seok-cheon shared his feelings about the stock market plunge caused by the military conflict in the Middle East. He posted on Instagram, "Last night, I wished upon the moon. I guess I should have wished for the stocks not to fall. It's a total disaster this morning," adding that he wished for good health but felt like he was "going to have a heart attack," expressing his bewilderment. Netizens empathized, commenting, "Me too, hyung," and "I deleted the app after seeing the circuit breaker triggered."

This stock market plunge is analyzed as a ripple effect of the military conflict in the Middle East. Tensions escalated following the US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, and Iran declared a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, launching retaliatory attacks. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed to have fired missiles at vessels that ignored navigation ban warnings.

As the geopolitical crisis in the Middle East spread to financial markets, the domestic stock market also plummeted. On the morning of the 4th, both the KOSPI and KOSDAQ indices fell by more than 8%, triggering the Level 1 circuit breaker in both markets. The circuit breaker is a market safety mechanism to prevent panic selling during a sharp index decline.

Other entertainers also reacted to the stock market plunge. YouTuber 'Chimchakman' (Lee Byung-geon) revealed during a live broadcast, "I sold Samsung Electronics at 70,000 won and bought it back at 210,000 won." However, due to the Middle East war, Samsung Electronics' stock price closed at 172,200 won on the 4th, resulting in a loss.