South Korean stocks got off to a weak start Thursday as the U.S Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke hinted at a possible tapering of its monetary easing, analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) nosedived 24.68 points, or 1.31 percent to 1,863.63 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Shares lost ground across the board, with tech giant Samsung Electronics falling 1.97 percent and No. 1 carmaker Hyundai Motor declining 0.24 percent. Top steelmaker POSCO moved down 1.44 percent.

U.S. stocks also closed lower Wednesday as the U.S. Federal Open Market Committee implied a possible cut in quantitative easing moves, with the Dow Jones industrial average falling 1.35 percent and NASDAQ composite index losing 1.12 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,142.85 won against the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., plunging 12.05 won from Wednesday's close. (Yonhap News)