Korean shares open lower on Wall Street losses

South Korean stocks opened lower Thursday, tracking overnight losses on Wall Street.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 10.67 points, or 0.49 percent, to 2,150.18 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

The decline followed overnight losses on Wall Street. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 0.20 percent, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index declining 0.58 percent.

Most large-cap stocks were mixed across the board.

SK Telecom, the No. 1 mobile carrier in the country, gained 0.79 percent while Shinhan Financial Group was up 0.32 percent.

Meanwhile, market bellwether Samsung Electronics Co. fell 0.43 percent, and the state-run utility firm Korea Electric Power Corp. declined 0.33 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,126.75 won against the US dollar, down 2.35 won from the previous session's close. (Yonhap)