South Korean stocks started lower Tuesday despite overnight gains on Wall Street.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) lost 12.01 points, or 0.46 percent, to 2,600.42 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

U.S. stocks finished higher ahead of earnings reports of major tech firms.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.65 percent, and the Nasdaq Composite added 0.26 percent.

In Seoul, market bellwether Samsung Electronics fell 0.69 percent and its chipmaking rival SK hynix went down 0.66 percent.

Leading EV battery maker LG Energy Solution retreated 1.92 percent, and top carmaker Hyundai Motor retreated 1.1 percent.

But major defense firm Hanwha Aerospace rose 1.32 percent and Samsung Group's bio tech affiliate Samsung Biologics climbed 0.76 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,383.95 won against the U.S. dollar, up 1.05 won from the previous session. (Yonhap)