Seoul market slips modestly as US stocks close higher

On Friday morning, South Korean shares opened modestly lower, with the benchmark KOSPI slipping 0.15% to 6,961.18 after an initial 0.47% drop. Leading domestic stocks mostly fell; Samsung Electronics lost 0.22% and its component maker Samsung Electro-Mechanics dropped 0.7%, while SK hynix rose 0.22% and its parent SK Square declined 0.61%. The movement contrasted with a modest rise in US equities, where the Dow edged up 0.04%, the S&P 500 gained 0.19% and the Nasdaq added 0.04% as Treasury yields fell from multi-decade highs, though higher crude prices capped gains. The Korean won weakened to 1,362.6 per US dollar, 4.2 won weaker than the prior session’s close.