South Korean stocks started lower on Thursday due to falls in major mobile operators, analysts said.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 5.12 points, or 0.26 percent, to 1,977.13 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
Mobile carriers slumped after an ex-dividend date. Top player SK Telecom tumbled 4.73 percent and KT lost 4.8 percent.
Techs, however, outperformed the KOSPI with LG Display jumping 2.5 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,074.05 won to the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., down 0.85 won from Wednesday's close. (Yonhap News)
