South Korean stocks got off to a weak start Thursday, tracking overnight losses on Wall Street.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 11.42 points, or 0.44 percent, to 2,593.7 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.54 percent and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 1.2 percent as investors were cautious ahead of the release of the U.S. consumer price index, slated for Thursday (U.S. time).
In Seoul, most big-cap shares declined across the board.
Market bellwether Samsung Electronics sank 1.02 percent, and its chipmaking rival SK hynix retreated 1.94 percent.
Battery makers were also weak, with industry leader LG Energy Solution inching down 0.72 percent and Samsung SDI losing 1.58 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,317.3 won against the U.S. dollar at 9:15 a.m., down 2 won from Wednesday's close.
Source: Yonhap News Agency