South Korean stocks opened lower Thursday as an impasse in U.S. budget and debt-ceiling issues dented investors' sentiment, analysts said.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 4.05 points, or 0.2 percent, to 1,994.01 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
Shares lost ground across the board, with market behemoth Samsung Electronics falling 0.29 percent and No. 1 carmaker Hyundai Motor losing 0.2 percent. Top auto parts maker Hyundai Mobis shed 0.34 percent.
Logistics also lost ground, with Hyundai Glovis decreasing 0.51 percent and Hyundai Merchant Marine moving down 0.83 percent. CJ Korea Express declined 0.1 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,074.85 won against the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., up 1.85 won from Wednesday's close. (Yonhap News)
