South Korean stocks turned lower after opening a tad higher Thursday, led by losses in blue-chip exporters amid a policy void due to stalled government reorganization, analysts said. 

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shed

5.11 points, or 0.26 percent, to 1,994.62 in the first 15 minutes of trading. 

Tech heavyweight Samsung Electronics slipped 0.3 percent, with No. 1 steelmaker POSCO losing more than 1 percent. 

In contrast, telecom shares trended upwards, with top mobile carrier SK Telecom rising 0.6 percent. 

The local currency was trading at 1,101.60 won against the U.S.

dollar as of 9:15 a.m., down 4.2 won from Wednesday's close. (Yonhap News)