South Korean stocks opened lower Monday, as worries over heightening North Korean threats and poor corporate earnings dampened investor sentiment, analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) retreated 13.46 points, or 0.7 percent to 1,910.77 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Most blue-chip firms lost ground, with tech giant Samsung Electronics falling 0.5 percent and No. 1 carmaker Hyundai Motor slipping more than 1 percent.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have intensified as Pyongyang lashed out at Seoul on Sunday, claiming that it insulted celebrations marking the birth of its founder Kim Il-sung which falls on Monday.

Market forecasts that the first-quarter corporate results will be worse than expected also sapped investor confidence.

The local currency was trading at 1,129.70 won against the U.S. dollar, down 0.3 won from Friday's close. (Yonhap News)