Korea's bourse operator on Thursday activated a sell-side sidecar for the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) after the index fell sharply, led by tech losses. Program trading in KOSPI-listed shares was suspended for five minutes around 10:18 a.m., according to the Korea Exchange (KRX). The KOSPI fell by more than 4 percent. The decline came as foreign investors sold off artificial intelligence (AI)-related stocks, including Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, after a sharp rebound in the past two consecutive sessions amid lingering concerns over massive AI spending. A sell-side sidecar is triggered when the KOSPI 200 Futures Index falls 5 percent or more for at least one minute.