Seoul shares open lower on Wall Street falls

By Lee Youkyung
SEOUL, Oct. 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korean shares started weaker Monday as falls in
U.S markets dented investor sentiment, analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) sank 30.51 points, or
1.86 percent, to 1,614.12 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
Last Friday, U.S. markets closed lower as weak unemployment data deepened
investor suspicions about a recovery. The Dow Jones industrial average finished
0.23 percent lower and the tech-laden Nasdaq composite index declined 0.46
percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,173.8 won to the U.S. dollar, up 4.5 won from
Thursday's close. The local market was closed last Friday for a national holiday.
ylee@yna.co.kr
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