Seoul shares opened slightly lower Friday, as investors unloaded large caps after three consecutive sessions of gains this week.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 1.63 points, or 0.06 percent, to 2,535.12 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
The Kospi plunged 2.52 percent Monday due to concerns over US import tariffs but rebounded for three consecutive trading days, rising by more than 1 percent each session.
Overnight, Wall Street shares finished mixed amid a lack of market leads. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.28 percent, while the Nasdaq composite and the S&P 500 climbed 0.51 percent and 0.36 percent, respectively.
In Seoul, No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix and consumer electronics giant LG Electronics dropped 0.25 percent and 0.50 percent, respectively.
Leading refiner SK Innovation fell 0.24 percent, and pharmaceutical firm Celltrion shed 0.55 percent.
Top automaker Hyundai Motor added 0.25 percent, while leading portal operator Naver, which reported improved earnings earlier in the day, gained 0.43 percent.
Battery and steel shares also advanced, with LG Energy Solution and Posco Holdings rising 0.73 percent and 0.62 percent, respectively. Market heavyweight Samsung Electronics remained unchanged from Thursday.
The local currency was trading at 1,446.05 won against the US dollar at 9:15 a.m., up 1.65 won from the previous session. (Yonhap)
