Seoul shares close lower on extended Middle East tension; won sharply down | Yonhap News Agency

## Summary
OK SEOUL, March 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks closed lower Thursday amid escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, which triggered extreme volatility in global oil prices. This photo taken March 12, 2026, shows a dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul. (Yonhap) colin@yna.co.kr (END) Related Articles Seoul shares down late Thu. morning amid Iran uncertainties (LEAD) Seoul shares open lower amid extended woes over oil prices; won sharply down Keywords #stocks #summary Articles with issue keywords Most Liked U.S. transport aircraft spotted departing Osan Air Base amid Patriot relocation speculation (News Focus) Topping 10 mln, 'The King's Warden' offers rare boost to Korean cinema (News Focus) USFK's relocation of military assets to Middle East raises concerns about Seoul's capability to deter N.K. threats (News Focus) How 'The King's Warden' captured 10 mln Korean viewers BTS expands Gwanghwamun concert capacity to 22,000 with added standing zones Most Saved (News Focus) How 'The King's Warden' captured 10 mln Korean viewers (News Focus) Topping 10 mln, 'The King's Warden' offers rare boost to Korean cinema U.S. transport aircraft spotted departing Osan Air Base amid Patriot relocation speculation (LEAD) S. Korea to receive over 6 mln barrels of crude oil from UAE: Cheong Wa Dae Lee says to swiftly introduce fuel price cap as Mideast crisis intensifies Most Viewed All Categories Relocation of THAAD interceptors to Middle East seen as imminent: sources S. Korea's cruise missile test from destroyer prev Seoul shares close lower on extended Middle East tension; won sharply down Next Seoul shares close lower on extended Middle East tension; won sharply down

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SEOUL, March 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks closed lower Thursday amid escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, which triggered extreme volatility in global oil prices. The local currency fell sharply against the greenback.
The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) moved down 26.7 points, or 0.48 percent, to close at 5,583.25.
Tensions continued to persist around the critical waterway south of Iran despite U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that the war is nearing an end, with attacks on commercial ships reported.
The International Energy Agency announced a plan to release oil reserves to address fluctuations in global oil prices, but investors stayed on the sidelines amid concerns the conflict could linger for a longer period.
The Korean won was trading at 1,481.2 won against the U.S. dollar, down 14.7 won from the previous session, as of 3:30 p.m.
This photo taken March 12, 2026, shows a dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul. (Yonhap)
colin@yna.co.kr
(END)
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Seoul shares close lower on extended Middle East tension; won sharply down
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Seoul shares close lower on extended Middle East tension; won sharply down

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
N/A

### Areas for Consideration
- This photo taken March 12, 2026, shows a dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul. (Yonhap) colin@yna.co.kr (END) Related Articles Seoul shares down late Thu. morning amid Iran uncertainties (LEAD) Seoul shares open lower amid extended woes over oil prices; won sharply down Keywords #stocks #summary Articles with issue keywords Most Liked U.S. transport aircraft spotted departing Osan Air Base amid Patriot relocation speculation (News Focus) Topping 10 mln, 'The King's Warden' offers rare boost to Korean cinema (News Focus) USFK's relocation of military assets to Middle East raises concerns about Seoul's capability to deter N.K. threats (News Focus) How 'The King's Warden' captured 10 mln Korean viewers BTS expands Gwanghwamun concert capacity to 22,000 with added standing zones Most Saved (News Focus) How 'The King's Warden' captured 10 mln Korean viewers (News Focus) Topping 10 mln, 'The King's Warden' offers rare boost to Korean cinema U.S. transport aircraft spotted departing Osan Air Base amid Patriot relocation speculation (LEAD) S.

### Implications
- The International Energy Agency announced a plan to release oil reserves to address fluctuations in global oil prices, but investors stayed on the sidelines amid concerns the conflict could linger for a longer period.
- This photo taken March 12, 2026, shows a dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul. (Yonhap) colin@yna.co.kr (END) Related Articles Seoul shares down late Thu. morning amid Iran uncertainties (LEAD) Seoul shares open lower amid extended woes over oil prices; won sharply down Keywords #stocks #summary Articles with issue keywords Most Liked U.S. transport aircraft spotted departing Osan Air Base amid Patriot relocation speculation (News Focus) Topping 10 mln, 'The King's Warden' offers rare boost to Korean cinema (News Focus) USFK's relocation of military assets to Middle East raises concerns about Seoul's capability to deter N.K. threats (News Focus) How 'The King's Warden' captured 10 mln Korean viewers BTS expands Gwanghwamun concert capacity to 22,000 with added standing zones Most Saved (News Focus) How 'The King's Warden' captured 10 mln Korean viewers (News Focus) Topping 10 mln, 'The King's Warden' offers rare boost to Korean cinema U.S. transport aircraft spotted departing Osan Air Base amid Patriot relocation speculation (LEAD) S.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers seoul, korean, korea topics. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 469.