Seoul shares open lower following rally

SEOUL, July 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks began slightly lower on Wednesday as investors took a breather following a fifth-session gaining streak, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) slipped 2.82 points, or 0.13 percent, to 2,158.93 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Techs broadly lost ground with Hynix Semiconductor tumbling nearly 6 percent. The memory chip heavyweight had closed 3.9 percent higher in the previous session on hopes Hyundai Heavy Industries would bid for its majority stake. In contrast, the top shipyard outperformed the market by surging almost 7 percent. Other shipmakers were also bullish, with Hyundai Mipo Dockyard jumping more than 5 percent. The local currency was trading at 1,067 won to the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., down 0.7 won from Tuesday's close.