Seoul shares down in late Wed. morning trade

SEOUL, Jan. 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks traded 0.73 percent lower late Wednesday morning, dragged down by auto and tech blue chips.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) had slid 17.27 points, or 0.73 percent, to 2,362.12 as of 11:20 a.m.

Market bellwether Samsung Electronics sank about 1.5 percent, and chipmaker SK hyix lost 0.8 percent.

Top automaker Hyundai Motor slipped 1 percent, and its auto parts making affiliate Hyundai Mobis shed nearly 2 percent.

POSCO Chemical, a battery component producer, also fell more than 2 percent.

Mobile carriers and airlines were among the gainers.

Leading player SK Telecom rose about 1 percent, and national flag carrier Korean Air Lines was up 1.3 percent.

The local currency had been changing hands at 1,236.80 won against the greenback as of 11:20 a.m., up 1.9 won from Tuesday's close.

elly@yna.co.kr
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