South Korean stocks opened almost flat Tuesday as investors took to the sidelines ahead of the U.S.

Federal Open Market Committee meeting slated this week, analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) moved down 1.53 points, or 0.08 percent, to 1,881.57 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Mobile carriers lost ground, with leading SK Telecom falling 1.14 percent and KT losing 0.92 percent. LG Uplus, the smallest player, shed 1.16 percent.

In contrast, tech blue chips traded bullish, with market behemoth Samsung Electronics gaining 0.29 percent and top chipmaker SK hynix advancing 2.63 percent. LG Electronics moved up 0.96 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,127.90 won against the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., down 1.70 won from Monday's close. (Yonhap News)