Seoul stocks open sharply lower on U.S. falls

SEOUL, Oct. 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks opened sharply lower Thursday as
overnight U.S. falls sparked investor jitters over a market correction, analysts
said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOPI) tumbled 35.12 points, or
2.18 percent, to trade at 1,574.59 in the first 15 minutes of trading. It dropped
below the 1,600-level for the first time since Oct. 7.
U.S. shares sank Wednesday amid worries over the pace of an economic recovery,
with the Dow Jones industrial average dipping 1.21 percent and the tech-heavy
Nasdaq plunging 2.67 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,203.3 won to the U.S. dollar, down 7.8 won
from Wednesday's close.
pbr@yna.co.kr