Korean shares opened lower Monday, trimming recent gains, as investors weighed the impact of earthquakes that hit Japan last week.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 10.85 points, or 0.54 percent, to 2,003.86 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Bellwether Samsung Electronics fell 0.31 percent, and industry frontrunner Samsung Life Insurance declined 7.02 percent.

Top automaker Hyundai Motor rose 1.32 percent and cosmetics giant AmorePacific climbed 1.87 percent, keeping KOSPI from falling sharply. 

In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 7.67 points, or 0.16 percent, to 17,897.46.

On Thursday, KOSPI soared 1.75 percent to its highest this year at 2,015.93 points. But on Friday, the main index ended 0.06 percent lower at 2,014.71 following the deadly earthquakes in the neighboring country. 

Korea's won was trading at 1,150.95 against the U.S. dollar, down 4.75 won from the previous session's close. (Yonhap)