South Korean stocks started lower Wednesday following overnight losses on Wall Street.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 17.15 points, or 0.54 percent, to 3,180.85 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
Overnight, US stocks finished weaker on recent economic data showing that US President Donald Trump's tariffs may be hurting the economy.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.14 percent, and the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.65 percent.
In Seoul, semiconductors and pharmaceuticals led the early decline as Trump said again he would impose a small tariff on those imports soon.
Chip giant Samsung Electronics sank 1.86 percent, and its rival SK hynix retreated 1.52 percent.
Samsung Biologics declined 1.81 percent, and Celltrion dropped 0.9 percent.
Leading battery maker LG Energy Solution decreased 0.26 percent, and defense giant Hanwha Aerospace dipped 1.87 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,388 won against the greenback at 9:15 a.m., up 0.3 won from the previous session. (Yonhap)
