KOREA'S KOSPI INDEX ROSE BY 18 PER CENT TODAY, FALLING 22 PER CENT THIS MONTH, THE SECOND LARGEST IN HISTORY. FAN

ON 31 JULY, THE KOREAN KOSPI INDEX ROSE BY 1001.88 POINTS ON 31 JULY (FRIDAY), AN INCREASE OF 17.91 PER CENT, REPORTING 6595.44 POINTS, THE LARGEST SINGLE-DAY ROUND INCREASE IN HISTORY, A 30 PER CENT RISE IN SK HERCULES, AND A NEARLY 27 PER CENT INCREASE IN TRISTAR ELECTRONICS, BOTH UPDATING THE RECORD OF A SINGLE-DAY INCREASE IN HISTORY. THIS WEEK, THE INDEX EXPERIENCED SIGNIFICANT FLUCTUATIONS, WHICH TRIGGERED THE COLLAPSE OF THE ENTIRE MARKET TWICE, AND TODAY ' S VIOLENCE REBOUNDED BY 18 PER CENT. THIS IS A CUMULATIVE DECLINE OF 22.4 PER CENT THIS MONTH, THE SECOND-EVER RECORDED DECLINE OF 27.2 PER CENT IN OCTOBER 1997, AND A 30 PER CENT DECLINE FROM ITS PEAK IN JUNE. KIM XIAN