Seoul shares down in late morning on tech losses

SEOUL, June 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks traded lower late Wednesday morning as institutions offloaded large-cap tech stocks in an apparent move to lock in profits, analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 13.27 points, or 0.56 percent, to 2,359.06 as of 11:20 a.m.

Most large caps traded mixed with tech shares bolstering the market.

Market kingpin Samsung Electronics added 0.31 percent after opening higher. SK hynix, a major chipmaker, meanwhile, was up 1.35 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,123.7 won against the U.S. dollar, down 0.2 won from the previous session's close.

khj@yna.co.kr
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