September 8, 1983

''We state: 'Soviet territory, the borders of the Soviet Union are sacred.'

A week after a South Korean 747 airliner took off from Kennedy International Airport on a journey that was ended by a Soviet air-to-air missile, there are many unanswered questions. Although American officials have pieced together much of what happened to Flight 7 over East Asia, there are still these questions: - Why did a South Korean jetliner with 269 people aboard enter Soviet airspace, apparently in disregard of well- known aviation warnings? Was it an accident or was it deliberate? - Did air traffic controllers or intelligence people know that the jetliner was off course before its final communications with the control tower at Narita airport near Tokyo? - What did air controllers do when they determined that the jetliner was missing? - Did the pilot of the Soviet SU-15, who had visual contact with the jetliner, fail to identify the Boeing 747 as a commercial airliner before shooting it down?

In the mid-1960's, the American Stock Exchange was the place to go for market action. At one point, trading got so heated that the president of the exchange issued a statement warning against excessive speculation in Amex stocks. The late 1970's sparked investor interest in the the exchange, too. The focus then was on the Amex's energy stocks, which helped push the exchange's index to new highs. Today, however, the Amex has lost some of its momentum. While the index again registered strong gains in the past year's bull market, the number of listed companies has steadily slipped. The volume of stock trading has also failed to grow as rapidly as that of its two main competitors, the New York Stock Exchange, which has started a push for the growth companies traditionally attracted to the Amex, and the over-the- counter market, whose sophisticated electronic trading systems are becoming more popular.

Foreign Minister Andrei A. Gromyko of the Soviet Union, staunchly defending his Government's actions, today repeated the Soviet contention that the United States was ultimately responsible for the loss of the Korean Air Lines Boeing 747 in Soviet airspace on Sept. 1. Speaking at a session of Eastern and Western foreign ministers here, Mr. Gromyko said Soviet borders were inviolable. He said that the South Korean airliner, which was shot down by a Soviet fighter, had been spying for the United States and that Washington had ''unleashed a wave of slander'' and ''falsehood'' over the incident. Before the session, foreign ministers from Atlantic alliance countries met to discuss a suspension of at least a week to 10 days on air travel to the Soviet Union in response to the downing of the airliner. (Page A10.)

An art review in Weekend last Friday of ''Twentieth Century Masters: The Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection'' incorrectly identified the organizer of the show. The exhibition and its tour were organized by the International Exhibitions Foundation of Washington, D.C.