The KOSPI dropped nearly 3 percent Monday, falling below 7,000 as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix led losses in the first trading session after the Chuseok holiday. The index opened at 7,057.86, down 23.06 points, or 0.33 percent, from its previous close Wednesday. It extended its losses through the session to finish at 6,889.74, down 191.18 points, or 2.70 percent. Samsung Electronics slid 5.43 percent, while SK hynix fell 5.05 percent. SK hynix shares appeared to face additional pressure following a report that its NAND flash and solid-state drive subsidiary, Solidigm, could pursue a U.S. initial public offering. A potential listing has raised concerns about dilution of existing shareholders’ economic interests. Investors also appeared to react to developments abroad while the Korean market was closed for the holiday. “The KOSPI fell back below 7,000 as major chip stocks weakened amid a sharp rise in long-term U.S. Treasury yields,” said Kim Ki-baek, an analyst at Shinhan Securities. “Sentiment toward parts of the artificial intelligence (AI) supply chain, including memory chi