South Korean stocks started lower Wednesday amid woes over global trade uncertainties sparked by the Donald Trump administration's tariff scheme.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 15.9 points, or 0.68 percent, to 2,318.33 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
Overnight, Wall Street lost ground, with the S&P 500 down 1.57 percent, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping 0.84 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite sliding 2.15 percent.
The US administration's reciprocal tariffs on its trading partners, including a 25 percent duty for South Korea, are set to go into effect later in the day, sapping investors' risk appetite.
In Seoul, most of the big-cap stocks started in negative territory.
Market bellwether Samsung Electronics gained 0.37 percent on bargain hunting, but its chipmaking rival SK hynix lost 1.71 percent.
Leading battery maker LG Energy Solution dropped 0.63 percent and top automaker Hyundai Motor declined 0.78 percent.
Major defense firm Hanwha Aerospace dipped 1.43 percent and leading shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy pulled back 1.36 percent.
Another major shipbuilder, Hanwha Ocean, on the other hand, added 1.92 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,486.7 won against the US dollar at 9:15 a.m., weakening 13.5 won from the previous session. (Yonhap)
