Seoul: South Korean stocks opened lower on Monday, as investors remained cautious in light of policy uncertainties under the incoming Trump administration. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index saw a decline of 12.6 points, or 0.49 percent, reaching 2,548.55 in the first 15 minutes of trading. According to Yonhap News Agency, tech giant Samsung Electronics experienced a decrease of 2.11 percent, while SK hynix, the second-largest chipmaker, shed 1.8 percent. Despite the overall downturn, LG Energy Solution saw a significant increase of 8.91 percent. In contrast, top steelmaker POSCO Holdings declined by 1.09 percent, and Korea Zinc faced a substantial drop of 11.43 percent. The financial sector also experienced a bearish opening. KB Financial fell by 1.18 percent, and Shinhan Financial moved down 0.7 percent. Meanwhile, the local currency was trading at 1,395.2 won against the U.S. dollar, marking a decrease of 8.8 won from the previous session.