Stocks open lower on profit-taking

South Korean stocks opened lower onThursday, as investors attempted to cash in recent gains, but topmarket cap Samsung Electronics continued to build up gains.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added3.6 points, or 0.15 percent, to 2,343.78 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Large-cap stocks were mixed across the board.

Market kingpin Samsung Electronics was up 0.22 percent,continuing a two-day winning streak. Hyundai Motor, the No. 1automaker, moved up 1.23 percent.

In contrast, SK hynix, a major chipmaker, lost 0.53 percent andtop steelmaker Posco was down 0.71 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,120.10 won against the USdollar, down 0.6 won from the previous session's close. (Yonhap)