Seoul shares open lower on weak U.S., Chinese data

South Korean stocks fell sharply Monday, following last week's disappointing economic data from the United States and China, analysts said.

The benchmark KOSPI dropped 2.60 percent, or 47.63 points, to 1,786.88 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Market bellwether Samsung Electronics dived 2.84 percent, with top automaker Hyundai Motor also plunging 2.52 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,181.95 won to the greenback as of 9:15 a.m., down 4.25 won from Friday's close.

(Yonhap News)