Seoul: South Korean stocks opened lower Monday on news that U.S. President Donald Trump will soon announce sweeping tariffs on American imports. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shed 16.39 points, or 0.65 percent, to 2,505.53 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Foreign investors sold shares, offsetting buying by retail and institutional buying.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Trump said Sunday (U.S. time) that he will announce a new 25 percent tariff on all steel and aluminum imports into the United States, as reported by foreign media. Additionally, Trump mentioned that he will announce reciprocal tariffs around Tuesday, which will take effect almost immediately. This announcement follows a decline in U.S. shares on Friday, prompted by Trump's tariff threats and data indicating rising consumer inflation expectations. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.99 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite dipped 1.36 percent.

In Seoul, the impact was felt across most top-cap shares, which opened lower. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics fell 1.12 percent, and chip giant SK hynix dipped 2.32 percent. Leading battery maker LG Energy Solution lost 1.93 percent. No. 1 steelmaker POSCO Holdings plunged 3.77 percent, and Hyundai Steel went down 2.71 percent. Top automaker Hyundai Motor slid 1 percent, with its sister affiliate Kia sinking 2.69 percent. Major bio shares also experienced losses, with Samsung Biologics shedding 0.95 percent and Celltrion decreasing 1.17 percent.

Despite the overall downward trend, top portal operator Naver rose 1.55 percent, and Kakao, the operator of the country's top mobile messenger, advanced 0.79 percent. The local currency was trading at 1,455.2 won against the greenback at 9:15 a.m., down 7.4 won from the previous session.