SEOUL: South Korean stocks edged down 0.06 percent late Thursday morning as concerns over corporate earnings sapped investor sentiment, analysts said.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) slipped 1.24 points to 2,063.49 as of 11:20 a.m.
Tech behemoth Samsung Electronics withdrew 0.72 percent, while chipmaker SK hynix added 1.7 percent. Flat screen provider LG Display erased 3 percent.
Cheil Industries and Samsung C&T — the two Samsung affiliates whose merger was given the go-ahead by shareholders last week — both fell 1.99 percent and 1.5 percent, respectively.
Industry leader Hyundai Motor, in contrast, shot up 3.82 percent ahead of its announcement of second-quarter earnings later in the day.
The local currency was changing hands at 1,161.20 won against the greenback in Seoul as of 11:20 a.m., down 7.60 won from Wednesday’s close.
