Japanese and Korean stocks closed lower, with Korean stocks falling over 5%

The Odaily Daily reports that, according to Gate data, the Nikkei 225 index closed down 1,437.91 points, or 2.11%, at 66,819.05 points on Wednesday, July 8. The Korea KOSPI index closed down 409.53 points, or 5.35%, at 7,246.78 points on Wednesday, July 8. The index triggered a "temporary trading halt" mechanism during the session, and has now fallen about 20% from its June high, approaching a technical bear market.