[THE INVESTOR] South Korean shares opened weak on July 18 as investors opted to cash in part of recent gains.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index slipped 0.67 points, or 0.03 percent, to 2,016.59 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Most large caps traded mixed with market kingpin Samsung Electronics falling 0.33 percent.


Top automaker Hyundai Motor remained flat, and top steelmaker POSCO rose 0.22 percent.

Naver, the operator of the country’s top Internet portal, shed 0.14 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,136.80 won against the US dollar, down 2.9 won from the previous session’s close.

(theinvestor@heraldcorp.com)