South Korean stocks opened lower on Wednesday, diverging from the overnight gains on Wall Street as auto and chemical shares experienced a decline. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index dropped 0.15 percent to 2,718.66 in the initial 15 minutes of trading, in contrast to the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite, which achieved an all-time high with a 0.59 percent increase, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average decreased by 0.55 percent. The United States is scheduled to release April's Personal Consumption Expenditures index on Friday. In Seoul, Hyundai Motors and Kia both saw declines of 0.94 percent and 0.33 percent, respectively, while LG Chem and SK Innovation also experienced decreases of 2.3 percent and 1.52 percent, respectively. Conversely, Samsung Electronics gained 0.39 percent, and SK hynix, the second-largest chipmaker, climbed 1.23 percent. The local currency was trading at 1,366.4 won against the US dollar, down 7.9 won from the previous session's close. The South Korean stock market opened lower on Wednesday, in contrast to the previous day's gains on Wall Street, as auto and chemical shares experienced a decline. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell by 0.15 percent to 2,718.66 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq composite reached an all-time high with a 0.59 percent increase, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average decreased by 0.55 percent. The United States is expected to release April's Personal Consumption Expenditures index on Friday. In Seoul, Hyundai Motors and Kia both saw declines of 0.94 percent and 0.33 percent, respectively, while LG Chem and SK Innovation also experienced decreases of 2.3 percent and 1.52 percent, respectively. Conversely, Samsung Electronics gained 0.39 percent, and SK hynix, the second-largest chipmaker, climbed 1.23 percent. The local currency was trading at 1,366.4 won against the US dollar, down 7.9 won from the previous session's close.