Seoul shares trade almost flat in late-morning trade

South Korean stocks traded almost flat late Friday morning as investors took a wait-and-see approach on U.S. and Chinese data, analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shed 12.73 points, or 0.06 percent, to 2,044.56 as of 11:20 a.m.

Shares lost ground across the board, with tech giant Samsung Electronics falling 0.4 percent and No. 1 carmaker Hyundai Motor losing 0.59 percent. Top chipmaker SK hynix lost 0.56 percent.

The local currency was changing hands at 1,059.45 won against the greenback as of 11:20 a.m., up 2.05 won from Thursday's close. (Yonhap News)