Seoul shares open lower on Wall Street losses

SEOUL, April 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks got off to a weak start on
Wednesday, taking a cue from overnight falls in U.S. markets, analysts said.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) sank 20.81 points, or 1.6
percent, to 1,279.29 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
U.S. stocks closed lower Tuesday as investors were wary with the first-quarter
earnings season getting under way. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 2.34
percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index declined 2.81 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,338.25 won to the U.S. dollar as of 9:15
a.m., down 15.75 won from Tuesday's close.
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
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