South Korean stocks opened lower Tuesday bucking continued bullish runs on Wall Street, amid lingering uncertainties over the impact of the new Trump administration's policies on the domestic industry.

The Korean won also breached the psychologically important level of 1,400 won against the U.S. dollar.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 12.62 points, or 0.5 percent, to 2,519.04 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Overnight, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite increased 0.06 percent to a fresh high, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average also moving up 0.69 percent. The S&P 500 also rose 0.1 percent.

In Seoul, top tech giant Samsung Electronics plunged 2 percent and No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix slid 2.18 percent. Leading battery maker LG Energy Solution, on the other hand, gained 1.08 percent.

Leading oil refiner SK Innovation also lost 0.65 percent, and cosmetics giant AmorePacific sank 4.72 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,400.7 won against the greenback, down 6 won from the previous session. (Yonhap)