Seoul stocks open lower on chip rout, escalating Iran tensions

Seoul stocks opened lower Monday, led by declines in major semiconductor makers, amid the escalating Middle East tensions. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 35.41 points, or 0.52 percent to 6,785.19, as of 9:19 a.m. On Friday, major US stock indexes closed lower as concerns mounted over artificial intelligence sectors, such as chipmaking. Sandisk and Micron led the decline, both falling by more than 8 percent. On the Middle East front, another US service member was killed in a