Seoul: South Korean stocks opened slightly lower Friday as investors locked in profits from recent gains, despite modest overnight strength on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 9.69 points, or 0.24 percent, to 4,018.82 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The index has traded choppily this week but has largely held above the 4,000 level.

According to Yonhap News Agency, overnight, the U.S. stock market held near its records. The S and P 500 inched up by 0.1 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite rose 0.2 percent, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.1 percent. In Seoul, most top-cap shares opened lower. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics was unchanged while its chip rival SK hynix lost 1.85 percent. Leading bio company Samsung Biologics slid 0.71 percent, and Celltrion edged down 0.55 percent.

In contrast, leading battery maker LG Energy Solution added 1.95 percent. Automakers opened mixed. Top automaker Hyundai Motor went up 1.76 percent while its sister affiliate Kia went down 1.25 percent. The local currency was trading at 1,473.8 won against the greenback at 9:15 a.m., down 0.3 won from the previous session.