South Korean stocks got off to a weak start Wednesday, as investors stayed cautious ahead of U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's speech on the next day (Seoul time).
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) dropped 8.64 points, or 0.43 percent to 1,986.84 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
Tech firms and steelmakers led the decline, with Samsung Electronics losing 1.2 percent and POSCO sliding 0.8 percent.
Analysts said key Fed officials' split views over when the Fed will start withdrawing the easy-money policies weighed down investors.
The local currency was trading at 1,072.45 won against the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., down 1.15 won from Tuesday's close. (Yonhap News)
