Seoul shares open lower on tech, mobile losses

South Korean stocks started lower on Tuesday following losses from techs and mobile carriers.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 3.76 points, or 0.68 percent, to 2,011.94 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Tech shares led the market decline, with Samsung Electronics falling 0.82 percent and top chipmaker SK hynix losing 1.44 percent. LG Display shed 0.23 percent.

Mobile carriers were also among losers, with SK Telecom moving down 0.44 percent and KT decreasing 0.35 percent. LG Uplus shed .46 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,157.35 won against the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., down 0.15 won from Monday's close. (Yonhap)