Seoul shares open lower on banking woes

SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks got off to a weak start Wednesday
as investor sentiment was dented by overnight Wall Street falls stemming from
renewed worries about the global banking sector, analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 32.88 points, or
2.92 percent, to 1,129.46 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
U.S. stocks tumbled Tuesday due to renewed jitters over a potential banking
crisis. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 4.01 percent and the tech-dominated
Nasdaq composite index declined 5.78 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,381.75 to the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m.,
down 7.25 won from Monday's close.
ygkim@yna.co.kr
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