[THE INVESTOR] South Korean shares opened lower on June 23 due to concerns over Britain’s possible exit from the European Union.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index slid 6.28 points, or 0.32 percent, to 1,986.20 during the first 15 minutes of trading.
The referendum regarding Brexit will wrap up on June 24 (Korean time) at 6 a.m. The result of the vote is to be officially announced at around 3 p.m. on the same day.
Two separate polls, conducted after the death of British pro-EU lawmaker Jo Cox last week, showed voter sentiment was leaning toward “leaving” rather than “staying.”
Supporting the broader market, market top cap Samsung Electronics fell 0.21 percent, and the state-run provider Korea Electric Power Corp. declined 1.01 percent. No. 1 refiner SK Innovation was down 1.37 percent.
Among gainers were top automaker Hyundai Motor Co., which hiked 0.36 percent. Top chemical manufacturer LG Chem increased 0.39 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,151.10 won against the US dollar, a 3.30 won rise from the previous session‘s close.
(
theinvestor@heraldcorp.com)