Seoul shares open sharply lower on tech slump amid Middle East uncertainty

South Korean stocks opened sharply lower Friday as investors took a breather following a recent rally in tech shares amid uncertainty over the U.S.-Iran peace deal.

After opening 3.66 percent lower, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 449.16 points, or 5.2 percent, to 8,190.25 as of 9:15 a.m.

The Korea Exchange suspended program trading for the KOSPI for five minutes at around 9:08 a.m., a measure issued when the KOSPI 200 Futures index decreases 5 percent or more for at least o ...