South Korean stocks opened lower on Monday amid worries over inflation and declines on Wall Street. The KOSPI shed 0.67 percent to 7,443.29 at the opening bell.
The Korea Exchange triggered a sell-side sidecar, suspending program trading for five minutes around 9:19 a.m. as the index extended losses. The KOSPI fell as low as 7,142.71 at one point, down more than 5 percent.
The decline followed Wall Street's retreat on Friday over persistent concerns about rising oil prices tied to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1.07 percent, the S&P 500 fell 1.24 percent and the Nasdaq composite lost 1.54 percent.
Samsung Electronics shares declined 1.76 percent while SK hynix fell 1.7 percent and LG Energy Solution dropped 1.63 percent. Hyundai Motor lost 1.27 percent and Kia shed 4.78 percent. In contrast, Hanwha Aerospace rose 0.86 percent.
