Seoul shares open sharply lower following previous day`s rally

SEOUL, Feb. 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks opened nearly 1 percent lower Friday on apparent profit-taking following a strong performance the previous session.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) dropped 56.98 points, or 0.9 percent, to 6,250.29 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
On Thursday, the KOSPI soared more than 3 percent to close at a record high above 6,300.
Overnight, U.S. stocks finished mixed. The Nasdaq Composite slid 1.2 percent as U.S. chipmaker Nvidia Corp. fell 5.5 percent, despite reporting strong earnings that had fueled a rally in semiconductor shares.
In Seoul, most large-cap shares traded lower.
Chip giant Samsung Electronics went down 0.69 percent, and its rival SK hynix decreased 2.46 percent.
Top camarker Hyundai Motor lost 0.33 percent, and leading battery maker LG Energy Solution decreased 0.59 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,433.05 won against the greenback at 9:15 a.m., down 7.25 won from the previous session.

Sumber : yna.co.kr