South Korean stocks opened lower Friday as investors continued to seek after safer assets amid the rising concern over North Korean provocations including a potential nuke test.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 9.55 points, or 0.44 percent, to 2,139.06 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Tech shares traded bearish, with market behemoth Samsung Electronics losing 0.8 percent and No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix falling 0.3 percent. LG Electronics shed 1.15 percent.

Financial shares also lost ground, with Shinhan Financial decreasing 1.61 percent and Samsung Life Insurance falling 0.92 percent. KB Financial slid 1.03 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,136.20 won against the US dollar, down 6.5 won from the previous session's close. (Yonhap)