Seoul stocks open lower on Wall Street losses

SEOUL, Feb. 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks opened slightly lower Friday, apparently taking a cue from overnight losses on Wall Street.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shed 3.38 points, or 0.15 percent, to 2,229.58 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

The weak start came after the U.S. stock market closed in negative terrain amid renewed fears of coronavirus outbreak, triggered by China reporting over 10,000 additional cases overnight.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 0.43 percent to close at 29,423.31.

In Seoul, large caps were mixed.

Market bellwether Samsung Electronics lost 0.16 percent, but top chemical maker LG Chem jumped 1.46 percent, with top portal operator Naver advancing 0.27 percent.

Leading automaker Hyundai Motor slipped 0.38 percent, while its smaller affiliate Kia Motors shed 0.24 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,184.55 won against the U.S. dollar, down 1.75 won from the previous session's close.

bdk@yna.co.kr
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