South Korean stocks traded almost flat late Thursday morning, with the losses in auto and energy shares outweighing the gains in tech blue-chips.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 2.83 points, or 0.11 percent, to 2,561.36 at around 11:20 a.m.
Hyundai Mobis, the auto parts-making affiliate of Hyundai Motor, fell 1.7 percent. Top energy company SK Innovation fell more than 1.1 percent.
Market bellwether Samsung Electronics inched up 0.2 percent and chip giant SK hynix rose 1.4 percent.
The local currency was changing hands at 1,313.10 won against the greenback at around 11:20 a.m., down 5.8 won from Wednesday's close.
Source: Yonhap News Agency