Seoul shares turn lower after strong start

South Korean stocks turned lower after opening higher, dented by widening losses in large-cap exporters and major banking groups, analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 2.12 points, or 0.11 percent to 1,942.44 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Tech heavyweight Samsung Electronics shed 0.4 percent, with blue-chip auto-parts maker Hyundai Mobis slipping nearly 1.6 percent.

Shares of major banking firms lost ground as they began to release quarterly earnings from last week, which have turned out to be worse than expected. No. 2 player KB Financial Group slid 1.13 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,109.65 won against the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., up 2.35 won from Friday's close. (Yonhap News)