A South Korean stock broker jumped to his death from a high-rise office amid worldwide market turmoil.

The 48-year-old broker, identified only as "Seo," sent text messages to colleagues expressing regret over severe losses, just minutes before leaping to his death Wednesday in the city of Daegu, according to Chief investigator Lee Kang-ho.

Lee said Seo's text messages included an apology to his clients. The messages said prices of the stocks owned by his clients nosedived and he felt sorry, a Daegu police spokesman told AFP. No separate suicide note was found.

Police said CCTV footage showed the man coming out of an elevator alone on the 18th floor of the building before he was found dead on the ground.

South Korean stocks have been especially volatile amid global financial turmoil sparked by fears the U.S. and European economies could be headed for recession.