Seoul's stock market saw a sluggish start on Friday, following Wall Street's decline. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index dropped 0.84 percent to 2,800.54 in the initial 15 minutes of trading, reflecting the bearish sentiment echoing from Wall Street. Tech and chip stocks were the main contributors to the overnight losses on Wall Street, with the S&P 500, Nasdaq composite, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average all experiencing declines. In Seoul, major blue-chip companies faced negative trading trends, with Samsung Electronics, SK hynix, Hyundai Motor, and Kia all experiencing significant losses in the early trading session. Additionally, energy and financial shares like SK Innovation and Kookmin Financial also saw declines. The local currency, the won, traded at 1,386.45 against the US dollar at 9:15 a.m., down 4.75 won from the previous session's close.