**[Market Analysis: Asian Markets Weaken, Profit-Taking as the Main Cause]** Odaily Planet Daily News – On Friday, Asian emerging market stocks fell sharply. Surging oil prices and limited progress in U.S.-Iran peace talks have heightened concerns about inflation and economic uncertainty. The MSCI Emerging Asia Index dropped more than 1.7%, with South Korea's KOSPI index being the main drag. The KOSPI plunged over 5%, triggering the sellers' "circuit breaker," which caused the automated trading system to pause for five minutes. Song Zhe, Senior Investment Specialist for Asian and Global Emerging Market Equities at BNP Paribas Asset Management, stated: "We believe today's downward pressure on the market is more about digesting the profit-taking from the strong rebound since April, rather than a decisive shift in market sentiment toward a full 'risk-off mode.' The previous market positioning had become relatively ample, so some profit-taking is understandable." (Jin10)