South Korean stocks got off to a weak start on Thursday as investors stepped to the sidelines ahead of the European Central Bank's policy rate meeting, analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) slipped 2.97 points, or 0.16 percent, to 1,871.48 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Major blue chips lost grounds with Hyundai Motor and Samsung Electronics falling 1.06 percent and 0.59 percent each.

Lotte Shopping jumped 3.33 percent after the retail giant was selected as a preferred bidder for Himart, the country's No. 1 electronics appliance retailer.

The local currency was trading at 1,136.7 won to the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., down 0.9 won from Wednesday's close. (Yonhap News)