SEOUL: South Korean shares opened lower Wednesday, led by a decline in autos and oil refiners, analysts said.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) moved down 2.97 points, or 0.15 percent, to 2,025.75 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
Autos opened bearish, with industry leader Hyundai Motor losing 1.09 percent and its affiliate Kia Motors dropping 0.33 percent. Auto parts maker Hyundai Mobis also fell 1.89 percent.
No. 3 oil refiner S-Oil shrank 0.74 percent, and industry leader SK Innovation also shed 0.41 percent.
The local currency changed hands at 1,118.2 won against the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., up 0.4 won from Tuesday’s close.
