Seoul shares open lower on blue-chip losses

South Korean stocks opened lower on Thursday as shares lost ground across the board, analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 8.61 points, or 0.43 percent, to 1999.27 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Tech blue chips led the decline, with market behemoth Samsung Electronics falling 1.07 percent and its smaller rival LG Electronics losing 0.26 percent. Leading carmaker Hyundai Motor also lost 1.44 percent, with the world's largest shipyard Hyundai Heavy Industries sliding 1.7 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1116.55 won to the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., up 1.75 won from Wednesday's close. (Yonhap News)