South Korean stocks opened lower Monday on news that US President Donald Trump will soon announce sweeping tariffs on American imports.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 16.39 points, or 0.65 percent, to 2,505.53 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
Foreign investors sold shares, offsetting buying by retail and institutional buying.
Trump said Sunday that he will announce a new 25 percent tariff on all steel and aluminum imports into the United States, according to foreign media reports.
Trump also said he will announce reciprocal tariffs around Tuesday, which will take effect almost immediately.
US shares plunged Friday following Trump's threat of more tariffs and data showing consumers' expectations for inflation. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.99 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite dipped 1.36 percent.
In Seoul, most top-cap shares opened lower.
Market bellwether Samsung Electronics fell 1.12 percent, and chip giant SK hynix dipped 2.32 percent.
Leading battery maker LG Energy Solution lost 1.93 percent.
No. 1 steelmaker POSCO Holdings plunged 3.77 percent, and Hyundai Steel went down 2.71 percent.
Top automaker Hyundai Motor slid 1 percent, and its sister affiliate Kia sank 2.69 percent.
Major bio shares also lost ground. Samsung Biologics shed 0.95 percent, and Celltrion decreased 1.17 percent.
But top portal operator Naver rose 1.55 percent, and Kakao, the operator of the country's top mobile messenger, advanced 0.79 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,455.2 won against the greenback at 9:15 a.m., down 7.4 won from the previous session. (Yonhap)
