Seoul shares open lower on Wall Street setbacks

SEOUL, June 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks started lower Wednesday as
investors dumped shares following overnight setbacks in U.S. markets, analysts
said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 5.99 points, or 0.43
percent, to 1,393.16 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
On Tuesday, Wall Street closed down for a second straight day on dimmer outlooks
for a quick economic recovery. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 1.25 percent
and the tech-laden Nasdaq composite index also slid 1.11 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,263.7 won to the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m.,
down 6.2 won from Tuesday's close.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
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