South Korean stocks got off to a weak start Wednesday, dampened by the improved Japanese trade balance, analysts said.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 7.96 points, or 0.42 percent to 1,892.66 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
Top-listed exporters dropped, with market bellwether Samsung Electronics falling 0.6 percent and steelmaker POSCO sliding 0.8 percent.
Tokyo posted a trade deficit of 993.9 billion yen ($10.4 illion) in May, narrower than the market consensus of 1.22 trillion yen. Its exports grew 10.1 percent from a year ago in the same month. Japan's improved trade balance is considered negative for Korea, its main rival in the global export market.
The local currency was trading at 1,135.05 won against the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., down 3.95 won from Tuesday's close. (Yonhap News)
