South Korean stocks opened marginally lower Monday as investors took to the sidelines amid lingering concerns over rake hikes.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 3.74 points, or 0.15 percent, to 2,567.75 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

The Kospi finished higher Friday for a sixth consecutive session after softer-than-expected US economic data showed that inflation is slowing, adding to hopes the Federal Reserve will dial back its aggressive rate-hike cycle.

Wall Street, however, finished lower, as a series of economic data still pointed to a possibility of at least one more rate increase by the US Federal Reserve.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.42 percent, the S&P 500 edged down 0.21 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite declined 0.35 percent.

In Seoul, most top-cap shares traded lower.

Top battery maker LG Energy Solution fell 1.35 percent, and Samsung SDI lost 1.05 percent. Internet portal operator Naver shed 0.65 percent.

Among the few gainers, tech heavyweight Samsung Electronics added 0.31 percent and steel giant Posco Holdings was up 3.7 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,306.1 won against the US dollar at 9:15 a.m., down 7.2 won from the previous session's close. (Yonhap)