Seoul: South Korean stocks kicked off sharply lower Thursday, tracking overnight losses on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 33.62 points, or 1.3 percent, to 2,560.17 in the first 15 minutes of trading. According to Yonhap News Agency, Wall Street finished lower overnight, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 0.22 percent, the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite down 0.56 percent, and the S and P 500 down 0.33 percent, as chip companies, including Advanced Micro Devices and Nvidia, lost ground. In Seoul, most market heavyweights started in negative territory. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics was flat, while its chipmaking rival SK hynix slid 1.95 percent. Battery shares lost ground on disappointing third-quarter earnings. Industry leader LG Energy Solution dropped 1.34 percent, and its smaller rivals Samsung SDI and POSCO Future M decreased 1.47 percent and 1.97 percent, respectively. Top automaker Hyundai Motor also pulled back 1.13 percent, with its sister co mpany Kia down 0.74 percent. Korea Zinc, the world's largest zinc smelter in the middle of a management control battle, plunged 13.69 percent. The local currency was trading at 1,381.40 won against the U.S. dollar, up 1 won from the previous session.