Seoul shares start lower on poor economic data

South Korean stocks opened lower Thursday on the country's lower-than-expected growth, analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 12.52 points, or 0.63 percent, to 1,967.89 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Large-cap shares led the decline, with market bellwether Samsung Electronics falling 1.36 percent.

Top shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries lost 1.1 percent and No. 1 carmaker Hyundai Motor slid 1.83 percent.

The country's central bank said earlier in the day that South Korea's economic growth tumbled to a three-year low of 2 percent in 2012 amid the prolonged global economic slowdown.

The local currency was trading at 1,069.95 won against the U.S. dollar, down 3.75 won from Wednesday's close. (Yonhap News)