Seoul shares opened lower Tuesday as US stocks took a breather after reporting their longest weekly rally this year.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 16.66 points, or 0.6 percent, to 2,588.26 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.8 percent to 42,931.60, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 0.3 percent to 18,540.01.

In Seoul, large-cap stocks were mixed.

Market bellwether Samsung Electronics Co. fell 1 percent, top carmaker Hyundai Motor Co. declined 1.3 percent, leading battery maker LG Energy Solution Ltd. shed 2.9 percent, and national flag carrier Korean Air Co. was down 1.7 percent.

Among gainers, state utility Korea Electric Power Corp. rose 2.6 percent, leading auto parts maker Hyundai Mobis Co. climbed 0.2 percent, and No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix Inc. was up 1.3 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,382.20 won against the dollar, down 7 won from the previous session. (Yonhap)