An electronic board showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) at a dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul on Thursday. (Yonhap)
South Korean stocks opened lower Friday tracking overnight plunges on Wall Street that stemmed from rising tensions in Ukraine.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) retreated 19.79 points, or 0.72 percent, to 2,727.29 points in the first 15 minutes of trading.
Overnight, the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite lost 1.56 percent and the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.29 percent, largely on concerns that the war in Ukraine may push up the commodity prices and peg the global economic recovery.
Most stocks retreated in Seoul.
Market bellwether Samsung Electronics lost 1.23 percent, while No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix declined 1.94 percent.
Internet portal operator Naver retreated 0.92 percent, and top carmaker Hyundai Motor decreased 1.13 percent. Leading chemical firm LG Chem moved down 2.51 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,210.35 won against the US dollar, down 5.75 won from the previous session's close. (Yonhap)
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