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Kospi opens lower as Wall Street tumbles on geopolitical uncertainties

Published: 21 Jan. 2026, 09:47

A screen in Hana Bank's trading room in central Seoul shows the Kospi trading in the morning hours of Jan. 21. [NEWS1]

Korean stocks opened lower Wednesday, tracking an overnight slump on Wall Street, as investors expressed concerns U.S. President Donald Trump's push for Greenland may lead to market volatility.

The Kospi went down 26.1 points, or 0.53 percent, to 4,859.65 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Overnight, the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite sank 2.39 percent, and the S&P 500 shed 2.06 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 1.76 percent.

The setbacks came after Trump vowed to impose tariffs on European countries opposing Washington's ambitions to acquire the Danish territory, sparking worries that the diplomatic tension could lead to economic uncertainties.

Seoul shares, which snapped 12 consecutive sessions of gains the previous day, opened lower.

Hanwha Aerospace shed 0.31 percent, and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries lost 2.5 percent.

KB Financial fell 0.35 percent, and Shinhan Financial Group decreased 1.59 percent.

Top market cap Samsung Electronics, on the other hand, gained 0.83 percent, and SK hynix increased 0.67 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,479.5 won per dollar at 9:15 a.m., up 0.05 percent from the previous session's close of 1,478.7.

Yonhap