SEOUL, March 5, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - South Korea's president ordered the activation of a $68 billion market stabilisation fund Thursday, citing the need to smooth out volatility caused by "the escalating crisis in the Middle East".

"The government should... appropriately execute and manage the 100 trillion won market stabilisation programme designed to pre-empt instability in the capital market," President Lee Jae Myung said.