Seoul shares opened lower Tuesday tracking overnight losses on Wall Street.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 7.74 points, or 0.30 percent, to 2,583.57 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 0.71 percent lower after US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell made remarks that suggested rate cuts may come later than anticipated.

In Seoul, large caps traded mixed.

Market bellwether Samsung Electronics advanced 0.13 percent, while the world's second-largest semiconductor manufacturer SK hynix soared 1.21 percent.

Top battery maker Samsung SDI lost 2.20 percent, with leading chemicals producer LG Energy Solution plunging 2.31 percent.

Leading automaker Hyundai Motor slipped 0.84 percent, while its smaller affiliate Kia Motors dipped 1.44 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,332.40 won against the US dollar, down 1.60 won from the previous session's close. (Yonhap)