An electronic board showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index at a dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul on Tuesday. (Yonhap) South Korean stocks opened lower Tuesday as investors offloaded large-cap technology shares, amid growing concerns over inflation and an overnight slump in US techs.After starting 1.2 percent lower, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index extended its losses, falling 161.86 points, or 2.15 percent, to 7,354.18 as of 9:15 a.m.Overnight, US stocks closed mixed as investors remained cautious after US President Donald Trump said he had postponed a planned attack on Iran at the request of Gulf leaders, while a surge in crude oil prices heightened market anxiety and fueled concerns over long-term inflation.The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.32 percent, while the S&P 500 sank 0.07 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite lost 0.51 percent.Some US big techs, such as Apple and Microsoft, closed lower. Investors also await the earnings report from AI chip giant Nvidia this week.Most market heavyweights in Seoul traded lower, with technology shares leading the decline.Top-cap Samsung Electronics started 3.38 percent lower, and its chipmaking rival SK hynix lost 2.12 percent.Artificial intelligence investment firm SK Square shed 4.76 percent, and leading battery maker LG Energy Solution lost 1.23 percent.Automobile shares were also among the losers.Top automaker Hyundai Motor shed 6.33 percent, and its smaller affiliate Kia declined 4.18 percent.On the other hand, defense giant Hanwha Aerospace jumped 6.68 percent.The Korean won was trading at 1,497.7 won against the US dollar at 9:15 a.m., up 2.6 won from the previous session. (Yonhap)