Seoul shares open lower on U.S. losses

South Korean stocks started lower Friday following overnight losses on Wall Street, analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 4.73 points, or 0.23 percent, to 2,014.68 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Market bellwether Samsung Electronics slid 1.04 percent and LG Electronics, South Korea's second-largest home appliances maker, dipped 0.13 percent.

Carmakers were also sluggish, with industry leader Hyundai Motor retreating 0.97 percent and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors tumbling 2.38 percent.

U.S. stocks dipped Thursday on reports that the Federal Reserve is considering ending its bond-purchase program sometime in 2013.

The Dow Jones industrial average ended 0.16 percent lower and the Nasdaq Composite Index lost 0.38 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,064.5 won to the greenback as of 9:15 a.m., down 2.8 won from Thursday's close. (Yonhap News)