[DigitalToday reporter Sangyeop Oh] The KOSPI slid below the 6,400 level on heavy foreign selling.

On Oct. 12, the KOSPI closed at 6,384.24, down 241.69 points, or 3.65 percent, from the previous session. The index opened at 6,578.17, down 47.76 points, or 0.72 percent, and at one point fell to 6,368.49, down 3.89 percent.

The index has fallen for four consecutive sessions since Oct. 6 through Thursday, dropping a total of 619.50 points, or 8.85 percent. Over that period it slipped past the 7,000 level and then fell through 6,500 and 6,400 in turn.

Individuals net bought 1.47 trillion won, absorbing selling. Foreigners net sold 2.02 trillion won and institutions net sold 110.7 billion won.

Most top stocks by market value also ended lower. Samsung Electronics closed down 4.39 percent at 250,500 won, and SK Hynix fell 4.52 percent to 1,605,000 won.

SK Square fell 6.29 percent, Samsung Electro-Mechanics 3.82 percent, Samsung Biologics 1.48 percent, Hyundai Motor 1.39 percent, LG Energy Solution 0.75 percent and Samsung Life Insurance 0.56 percent. KB Financial Group was unchanged.

The Kosdaq posted a steeper fall than the KOSPI. The Kosdaq closed at 849.19, down 43.08 points, or 4.83 percent, from the previous session. The previous close was 892.27.

The won was at 1,335.30 per dollar, down 8.70 won from the previous session.

Domestic stocks showed weakness from early trade, but sentiment deteriorated further in the afternoon. Foreign selling was concentrated in large semiconductor stocks such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, widening the KOSPI's losses, and institutions also turned to net selling, adding to pressure on the index.

The KOSPI fell 2.62 percent on Oct. 8 and slid another 3.65 percent on Thursday, marking a second straight session of sharp corrections. With the index dropping to the 6,300 level in a short period after moving around 7,000 through last week, foreign fund flows and whether semiconductor stocks rebound have emerged as factors that could determine the market's near-term direction.