The KOSPI plunged more than 4 percent Thursday, giving up gains from the previous two sessions as weakness in major semiconductor stocks weighed on the market. The tech-heavy Kosdaq swung between gains and losses before closing up 0.26 percent, extending its winning streak to five sessions. The KOSPI opened at 6,478.75, down by 119.51 points, or 1.81 percent, and extended its losses to close at 6,296.38, down 301.88 points, or 4.58 percent. Heavy selling pressure during the session prompted the Korea Exchange to suspend program selling orders for five minutes at around 10:18 a.m. under its sidecar mechanism. The benchmark index had climbed 3.76 percent the previous day for its second straight advance before reversing course Thursday. U.S. stocks provided mixed signals overnight. Nvidia, the leading AI chipmaker, gained 3.44 percent after SpaceX said it would use Nvidia chips exclusively for its data center infrastructure. AMD, on the other hand, dropped 7.04 percent after its outlook was viewed as weaker than expected. Alphabet also declined 4.06 percent after reports that Jeff Dean, a sen