An electronic board showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index at a dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul on Tuesday. (Yonhap)
An electronic board showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index at a dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul on Tuesday. (Yonhap)

South Korean stocks closed slightly lower Tuesday despite gains in big-cap semiconductor shares as investors locked in profits from recent gains in the year-end session. The local currency fell against the US dollar.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 6.39 points, or 0.15 percent, to close at 4,214.17, ending a two-day winning streak.

Trade volume was moderate at 398.49 million shares worth 12.69 trillion won ($8.81 billion), with losers beating winners 544 to 329.

The index opened lower, tracking overnight losses on Wall Street, but had moved within a tight range throughout the session before ending with a modest decline.

Offshore and institutional investors sold a net 491.19 billion won and 366.19 billion won worth of shares, respectively, while retail investors bought a net 820.13 billion won.

Trading in the new year will begin at 10:00 a.m. Friday.

Top-cap shares finished mixed.

Market bellwether Samsung Electronics rose 0.33 percent to 119,900 won, setting a record high amid an industry upcycle. Chip giant SK hynix soared 1.72 percent to 651,000 won, also marking an all-time high.

But leading battery maker LG Energy Solution slid 3.03 percent to 368,500 won as it announced the cancellation of a supply deal worth 3.9 trillion won that was signed with US-based battery pack producer Freudenberg Battery Power System LLC.

Bio giant Samsung Biologics shed 0.64 percent to 1,695,000 won, while Celltrion retreated 0.17 percent to 181,000 won.

But carmakers gathered ground. Top automaker Hyundai Motor advanced 1.02 percent to 296,500 won, and its sister affiliate Kia increased 0.58 percent to 121,800 won.

Shipbuilders fell. Leading shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy sank 2.68 percent to 509,000 won, while its rival Hanwha Ocean lost 1.73 percent to 113,600 won.

Defense giant Hanwha Aerospace skidded 0.84 percent to 941,000 won, and nuclear power plant builder Doosan Enerbility decreased 1.57 percent to 75,300 won.

Leading financial group KB Financial dipped 0.72 percent to 124,700 won, and No. 1 steelmaker POSCO dropped 2.87 percent to 305,000 won.

The local currency was quoted at 1,439.0 won against the greenback at 3:30 p.m., down 9.2 won from the previous session. (Yonhap)