SEOUL: South Korean stocks opened lower Monday due to losses from technology and automobile shares.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shed 8.51 points, or 0.44 percent, to 1,929.16 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
Market behemoth Samsung Electronics fell 1.67 percent, and top chipmaker SK hynix shed 1.22 percent. Panel maker LG Display shed 0.44 percent.
Leading carmaker Hyundai Motor decreased 0.69 percent, and its smaller sister Kia Motors moved down 1.37 percent. Auto parts maker Hyundai Mobis edged down 0.5 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,182.65 won against the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., down 9.05 won from Friday’s close.
