Seoul stocks opened sharply lower on Tuesday as investors took to the sidelines amid growing recession woes.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index dropped 20.58 points, or 0.92 percent, to 2,205.09 points in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Wall Street was closed for the New Year's holiday, while major European stock markets closed more than 1 percent higher overnight on relatively sound manufacturing data.

In Seoul, most heavyweights got off to a weak start.

Market top cap Samsung Electronics slid down 0.72 percent, while No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix dipped 2.11 percent.

Among gainers, major chemical firm LG Chem was up 0.66 percent, battery maker Samsung SDI advanced 1 percent, and top automaker Hyundai Motor inched up 0.64 percent.

The local currency was changing hands at 1,272.5 won against the greenback, up 0.1 won from the previous session's close. (Yonhap)