SEOUL: South Korean stocks started lower Thursday due to losses in technology firms and shipbuilders, analysts said.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shed 8.10 points, or 0.39 percent, to 2,077.43 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
Tech shares lost ground, with top tech firm Samsung Electronics falling 0.38 percent and LG Display losing 0.39 percent. No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix moved down 0.81 percent.
Shipbuilders also started bearish, with Hyundai Heavy Industries moving down 1.23 percent and Samsung Heavy Industries decreasing 0.57 percent. Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering also dropped 0.7 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,109.75 won against the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., down 1.35 won from Wednesday’s close.
