Seoul shares trade lower late Fri. morning

South Korean shares continued to trade lower late Friday morning ahead of the U.S. jobs report. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 15.86 points, or 0.62 percent, to 2,559.64 as of 11:20 a.m. The index has been on a steady decline since Tuesday, when the United States reported a worse-than-expected manufacturing purchasing managers index. The U.S. is set to release its latest jobs data Friday (U.S. time). Most large caps were in negative terrain. Market kingpin Samsung Electronics gained 0.72 percent, but the world's second-largest chipmaker SK hynix dropped 1.51 percent. Top battery maker LG Energy Solution slipped 0.37 percent, while its local rival Samsung SDS plummeted 3.35 percent. Leading automaker Hyundai Motor retreated 0.22 percent, with its smaller affiliate Kia Motors dipping 0.20 percent. The local currency was trading at 1,331.35 won against the U.S. dollar, up 4.55 won from the previous session. Source: Yonhap News Agency