Seoul shares open lower on U.S. falls

SEOUL, Jan. 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks got off to a weak start Friday as
investor sentiment was dented by overnight Wall Street falls stemming from
earnings woes, analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 19.40 points, or
1.74 percent, to 1,096.97 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
U.S. stocks tumbled Thursday after Microsoft Corp. posted an 11 percent drop in
profit. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 1.28 percent and the tech-dominated
Nasdaq composite index declined 2.76 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,384.95 to the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m.,
down 6.95 won from Thursday's close.
ygkim@yna.co.kr
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