South Korean stocks opened lower on Tuesday, dragged down by losses on Wall Street due to a resumption of military clashes between the United States and Iran. ^[1] Gains in Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, driven by recently announced buyback programs, offset net selling from foreign, institutional, and retail investors. ^[2] South Korea's Kospi index closed at 6,835.8 points on Tuesday, up 0.23%, marking its second consecutive gain. ^[3] Overnight, major U.S. stocks closed lower as renewed U.S.-Iran airstrike exchanges and Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh's hawkish speech fueled worries about inflation. ^[4] The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) opened 0.52 percent down and extended losses to trade 84.81 points, or 1.24 percent, lower at 6,735.21 as of 9:15 a.m. ^[5] The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.7 percent and the S&P 500 lost 0.33 percent, while the Nasdaq composite declined 0.12 percent. ^[6] Foreign investors sold a net 491.9 billion won, institutions sold 634 billion won, and retail investors sold 539.8 billion won during the session. ^[7] Oil refiners SK Innovation and S-Oil gained 7.81% and 1.07% respectively on rising crude prices, while Hanwha Aerospace fell 3.99% and Celltrion slipped 0.48%. ^[8]