Seoul shares down 0.28 pct late morning

By Lee Youkyung
SEOUL, Nov. 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks traded 0.28 percent lower late
Tuesday morning as falls in chipmakers and automobile manufacturers overshadowed
earlier gains, analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shed 4.51 points to
1,587.96 as of 11:20 a.m. after touching the 1,600-point mark in early trading.
Chip giant Hynix Semiconductor tumbled more than 6 percent on fears that
creditors may sell part of their stake through block sales if no prospective
buyer comes forward.
The local currency was trading at 1,153.15 won to the greenback as of 11:20 a.m.,
up 1.65 won from Monday's close.
ylee@yna.co.kr
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