Korea's bourse operator on Monday activated a sell-side sidecar for the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) after the index tumbled sharply. Program trading for the KOSPI was suspended for five minutes at 10:34 a.m., according to the Korea Exchange (KRX). The KOSPI came under heavy selling pressure as investors offloaded market heavyweights amid renewed tensions in the Middle East, which weighed on investor sentiment. On Sunday (U.S. time), the U.S. military launched strikes against Iran following Iran's drone attacks on U.S. allies in the Middle East. After opening 0.85 percent lower at 7,412.03, the KOSPI fell as low as 7,159.42.