South Korean stocks traded lower late Thursday morning with builders and retailers being major losers.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 9.68 points, or 0.41 percent, to 2,350.46 as of 11:20 a.m.
Construction shares continued to lose ground, with Hyundai Engineering & Construction falling 1.83 percent and Daewoo Engineering & Construction moving down 2.15 percent. Daelim Industrial shed 1.54 percent.
Retailers also traded bearish, with top player E-Mart stepping down 2.59 percent and GS Retail falling 1.76 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,125.20 won against the US dollar, down 1.20 won from the previous session's close. (Yonhap)