SEOUL, South Korean stocks traded 0.31 percent lower late Monday morning on losses in semiconductor and financial shares.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 7.33 points, or 0.31 percent, to 2,367.67 as of 11:20 a.m.
Samsung Electronics, the world's largest memory chip maker, shed 0.44 percent, and SK hynix, the country's No. 2 chipmaker, retreated 1.43 percent.
Financial shares also went south, with Shinhan Financial Group and Hana Financial Group, two of the country's biggest financial companies, down over 2 percent.
But battery and auto shares were strong.
Leading battery maker LG Energy Solution gained 1.03 percent, POSCO Future M jumped 2.33 percent, and Samsung SDI added 0.1 percent.
Top automaker Hyundai Motor advanced 0.93 percent, and its smaller affiliate Kia jumped 1.96 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,352.90 won against the U.S. dollar at 11:20 a.m., down 0.5 won from the previous session's close.
Source: Yonhap News Agency