South Korean shares open lower

SEOUL: South Korean stocks were lower in early trading Friday as foreign investors and institutions took a breather following the previous session's 2.68 percent rise.

The benchmark KOSPI was down 11.84 points, or 0.67 percent, to 1,757.45 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

The index had jumped Thursday on hopes the eurozone would act soon to tackle its debt crisis. The German parliament later voted to strengthen the European Financial Stability Facility.

Big-cap shares were mixed. Techs were trading in negative territory, with Samsung Electronics down more than 2 percent. But shipbuilders outperformed the market, with Hyundai Heavy Industries rising about 3 percent.