Seoul shares open lower on profit taking . SEOUL , May 21 ( Yonhap ) -- South Korean stocks opened lower Monday as investors offloaded technology and other large - cap stocks on profit taking . The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index ( KOSPI ) fell 7 . 10 points , or 0 . 29 percent , to 2 , 453 . 55 in the first 15 minutes of trading . Foreigners and institutions sold a combined 70 billion won ( US $ 65 million ) worth of stocks . Individuals bought a net 67 billion won shares , keeping the main index from falling further . This week , analysts predicted investors are expected to remain cautious due to uncertainties surrounding inter - Korean relations . Tech , auto and steel stocks led losses , with market bellwether Samsung Electronics Co . falling 0 . 40 percent , top carmaker Hyundai Motor Co . declining 0 . 33 percent and leading steelmaker POSCO shedding 0 . 83 percent . Some domestic players bucked the trend , with dominant tobacco company KT & G Corp . rising 0 . 10 percent and No . 1 large discount store chain E - Mart Inc . climbing 0 . 37 percent . The local currency was trading at 1 , 081 . 30 won against the U . S . dollar , down 3 . 70 won from the previous session ' s close . ( END )