Seoul: South Korean stocks opened sharply lower Monday following reports that China-based Alibaba has developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 27.98 points, or 0.88 percent, to 3,158.03 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite closed 1.15 percent lower on Friday after reports of Alibaba's new AI chip in China, which led to concerns over U.S. tech players, such as Nvidia. In Seoul, top tech giant Samsung Electronics plunged 2.3 percent, and No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix slid 4.09 percent.
Battery maker LG Energy Solution decreased 0.14 percent, and Samsung SDI lost 1.69 percent. Chemical shares opened bearish as well, with LG Chem losing 1.98 percent and SK Innovation declining 0.84 percent. Cosmetics maker AmorePacific lost 1.25 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,391.7 won against the U.S. dollar at 9:15 a.m., down 1.6 from the previous session.