South Korean shares opened sharply lower Friday, weighed down by overnight losses in US artificial intelligence and semiconductor stocks, while rising oil prices added to market jitters.
After opening 2.36 percent lower, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 156.6 points, or 2.83 percent, to 5,377.17 as of 9:15 a.m.
Overnight, US stocks closed mixed, with losses in major technology shares weighing on the broader market.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.02 percent, while the S&P 500 fell 1.21 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite shed 2.6 percent.
Micron Technology plunged 6.26 percent, while Nvidia and Intel tumbled 4.4 percent and 8.04 percent, respectively.
Renewed jitters over the AI industry dragged global markets lower, while oil prices climbed amid concerns over potential supply disruptions after Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels said they had again attacked key facilities in Saudi Arabia.
In Seoul, large-cap shares opened lower.
Market bellwether Samsung Electronics went down 3.26 percent while its chipmaking rival SK hynix declined 2.21 percent.
Battery maker LG Energy Solution fell 2.56 percent while Samsung Electro-Mechanics, an electronics component affiliate of Samsung Electronics, plunged 6.64 percent.
The Korean won was trading at 1,325.8 won against the US dollar at 9:15 a.m., up 0.7 won from the close of the previous stock trading session. (Yonhap)