Seoul stocks opened lower on Monday amid uncertainty over U.S.-Iran peace negotiations. The KOSPI index fell 124.2 points in early trading.
South Korean stocks opened lower Monday as uncertainty over U.S.-Iran peace negotiations intensified following U.S. President Donald Trump's continued threats on Tehran.
The benchmark KOSPI fell 124.2 points, or 1.37 percent, to 8,928.2 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Samsung Electronics sank 2.68 percent, Hyundai Motor retreated 3.92 percent and Hanwha Ocean tumbled 7.87 percent.
The Korean won was trading at 1,530.2 won against the U.S. dollar, down 3.2 won from the previous session as of 9:15 a.m. Overnight talks in Switzerland were halted after Iran cited threats linked to Hezbollah attacks on Israel.