South Korean stocks got off to a weak start Monday as investors sat on the sidelines amid the rising uncertainties over the Chinese economy and the U.S. firms' second-quarter earnings, analysts said.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shed 14.02 points, or 0.75 percent to 1,855.96 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
Tech blue chips lost ground, with market behemoth Samsung Electronics losing 1.22 percent and leading chipmaker SK hynix falling 1.4 percent. Top flat panel maker LG Display shed 2.64 percent.
Builders also traded bearish, with Hyundai Engineering & Construction losing 1.22 percent and Daelim Industrial moving down 2.15 percent. Daewoo Engineering & Construction shed 1.01 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,123.95 won against the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., up 0.55 won from Friday's close. (Yonhap News)
