Seoul shares down late Mon. morning as chip, battery slump

South Korean stocks traded lower late Monday morning due to losses in semiconductor and battery shares. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index had decreased 8.96 points, or 0.33 percent, to 2,671.39 as of 11:20 a.m. Tech giant Samsung Electronics fell 0.55 percent, and its chipmaking rival SK hynix lost 2.56 percent. Top battery maker LG Energy Solution declined 0.75 percent, and Samsung SDI slid 2.23 percent. But major home appliance maker LG Electronics added 1.26 percent, and leading shipyard HD Korea Shipbuilding and Offshore Engineering gained 2.41 percent. The local currency was trading at 1,316.4 won against the U.S. dollar, up 3.4 won from the previous session. Source: Yonhap News Agency