The benchmark KOSPI staged a dramatic turnaround Tuesday, recovering from an intraday plunge of nearly 5 percent to close 0.76 percent higher as foreign and institutional investors bought battered semiconductor shares. The secondary Kosdaq, however, fell to its lowest close of the year. KOSPI ended at 6,856.83, according to the Korea Exchange. The index opened lower and briefly sank below 6,500 before bargain hunting erased its losses and pushed it back into positive territory. Retail investors sold a net 4.15 trillion won ($2.8 billion) of shares, while foreign and institutional investors purchased a net 951 billion won and 3.23 trillion won, respectively. SK hynix rose 3.69 percent to 1,913,000 won, while Samsung Electronics gained 3.34 percent to 263,000 won. "KOSPI has plunged 19.7 percent in just 14 trading sessions since the start of July, marking its steepest correction since October 2008, when it fell 23.1 percent during the global financial crisis," said Kiwoom Securities analyst Han Ji-young. "Given that even previous major crises unfolded over several months, the latest sell-off