South Korean stocks traded 0.53 percent lower late Friday morning, as tech and insurance blue-chips drove down the shares, analysts said.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) slid 10.57 points to 1,993.47 as of 11:20 a.m.
Tech heavyweight Samsung Electronics sank 1.2 percent, with Samsung Life Insurance falling 1.4 percent.
But autos and shipyards moved higher. Kia Motors was up 0.6 percent and Hyundai Heavy Industries, the world's top shipbuilder, gained nearly 2 percent.
The local currency was changing hands at 1,063.30 won against the greenback as of 11:20 a.m., down 1.9 won from Thursday's close. (Yonhap News)
