South Korean stocks opened slightly lower Wednesday, tracking a stock plunge on Wall Street that stemmed from reports on Taliban's earlier-than-expected control of the Afghanistan capital.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 2.18 points, or 0.07 percent, to 3,140.91 points in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Stocks got off to a choppy start as investors digest the impact of Taliban's seizure of Kabul and the frenzy at the airport.

Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.79 percent, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite retreating 0.93 percent and the S&P 500 losing 0.71 percent.

In Seoul, market bellwether Samsung Electronics decreased 0.81 percent, while SK hynix added 0.99 percent.

Internet portal giant Naver shed 0.58 percent, and giant chemical maker LG Chem moved down 0.45 percent.

Top pharmaceutical firm Samsung Biologics declined 1.58 percent, with leading carmaker Hyundai Motor down 0.47 percent. No. 1 bank heavyweight Kakao Bank jumped 5.49 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,177.95 won to the US dollar, down 1.65 won from the previous session's close. (Yonhap)