Seoul stocks opened sharply lower on Monday amid renewed energy price concerns after Tehran warned it could indefinitely close the Hormuz Strait, a key oil route. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 273.11 points, or 4.72 percent, to 5,508.09 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The Korea Exchange, Korea's main bourse operator, issued a sell-side sidecar soon after the opening bell amid a sharp drop, temporarily halting program trading. On Friday, major stock indexes on Wall Street closed lower, as the war in Iran continued to ripple through financial markets. The S&P500 fell 1.5 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gave up 2 percent. Investor sentiment was dampened as the war in Iran has been sending energy prices to record levels, raising concerns about inflation and complicating the outlook for the U.S. Federal Reserve's policy direction. Fed Gov. Christopher Waller signaled that he may take a more conservative approach to interest rates in an interview with CNBC on Friday. Adding further concerns is the recent warning from Iran that it would shutter the Hormuz Str