Seoul shares start lower on U.S. losses

South Korean stocks got off to a weak start Monday as investor sentiment was dampened by losses on Wall Street, analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 24.12 points, or 1.24 percent, to trade at 1,919.72 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Shares lost ground across the board, with market bellwether Samsung Electronics falling 1.54 percent and leading carmaker Hyundai Motor decreasing 1.1 percent. Top steelmaker POSCO shed 1.12 percent.

U.S. stocks ended lower on Friday due to lackluster third-quarter performances of large caps, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling 1.52 percent and the NASDAQ composite index sliding 2.19 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,106.25 won against the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., up 2.95 won from Friday's close. (Yonhap News)