Seoul shares down 0.09 pct in late-morning trade

South Korean stocks traded 0.09 percent lower late Thursday morning due to losses in large-cap exporters, analysts said.  

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) dipped 1.8 points to 1,978.61 as of 11:20 a.m.

Tech giant Samsung Electronics fell 0.61 percent and LG Display, a major screen supplier of Apple, dropped 2.42 percent.

Carmakers continued bearish movement amid the yen weakness, with industry leader Hyundai Motor sliding 1.38 percent.

However, top steelmaker POSCO rose 1.94 percent and No. 1 mobile carrier SK Telecom advanced 2.04 percent.

The local currency was changing hands at 1,068.40 won against the greenback, down 2.2 won from Wednesday's close. (Yonhap News)