SEOUL: South Korean stocks traded 1.52 percent lower late Monday morning, as top-cap exporters and financial firms extended losses amid deepening concerns over a default in Greece, analysts said.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) slipped 31.72 points to 2,058.54 as of 11:20 a.m.
Market bellwether Samsung Electronics slid 1.2 percent, with top steelmaker POSCO falling nearly 2.5 percent. Samsung Life Insurance, the biggest financial company by market cap, was also down about 1 percent.
But cosmetics shares stayed in positive terrain. Cosmetics producer Amore Pacific gained 0.2 percent, with LG Household & Healthcare climbed 2 percent.
The local currency was changing hands at 1,122.10 won against the greenback as of 11:20 a.m., down 5.2 won from Friday’s close.
