Seoul shares open lower on eurozone woes

South Korean stocks turned lower Monday after a strong start, dampened by concerns over the depeening crisis in the eurozone region, analyst said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 5.94 points, or 0.33 percent to trade at 1,783.50 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Shares traded mixed, with tech giant Samsung Electronics staying flat and chipmaker SK hynix jumping 2.5 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,149.40 won against the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., down 2.8 won from Monday's close. (Yonhap News)