The South Korean stock market plunged over eight percent on Thursday amid coronavirus fears after a rollercoaster session, tumbling below one-thousand-500 points.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index(KOSPI) fell 133-point-56 points, or eight-point-39 percent. It ended the day at one-thousand-457-point-64.

The tech-heavy KOSDAQ also fell, losing 56-point-79 points, or eleven-point-71 percent, to close at 424-point-35.

The Korea Exchange activated circuit breakers on the main and the secondary markets around noon after stock prices fell over eight percent, the second time in less than a week. 

On the foreign exchange, the local currency weakened 40 won against the dollar, ending the session at one-thousand-285-point-seven won, which is the highest in 11 years.