Kospi slides 1.36% as geopolitical tensions escalate

A screen in Hana Bank's trading room in central Seoul shows the stock market prices as it opens on Tuesday. [YONHAP]

Stocks started sharply lower Tuesday tracking overnight losses on Wall Street amid the escalating tension between Israel and Iran.

The Kospi dropped 36.34 points, or 1.36 percent, to 2,634.09 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.65 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq declined 1.79 percent.

Tensions continued to escalate in the Middle East after Israel warned of retaliation after Iran conducted a drone and missile attack over the weekend.

In Seoul, Samsung Electronics plunged 1.95 percent and SK hynix lost 2.76 percent.

Hyundai Motor slid 1.24 percent, and Kia remained unchanged from the previous session. Hyundai Mobis lost 2.06 percent.

Air carriers opened bearish too amid the geopolitical tensions, with Korean Air Lines falling 1.23 percent and Asiana Airlines decreasing 0.86 percent. Jeju Air lost 0.46 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,390.9 won against the dollar, up 6.9 won from the previous session's close.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG, YONHAP [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]