South Korean stocks traded almost flat late Friday morning as investors take a wait-and-see approach ahead of U.S. payrolls data, which will give clues to the Federal Reserve's future monetary tightening policy.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) had added 1.74 points, or 0.07 percent, to 2,405.34 as of 11:20 a.m.
Overnight, all three U.S. indexes slipped as investors were on edge ahead of the monthly non-farm payrolls data to be released later in the day, which will be a decisive factor in forecasting whether the Fed will keep its rates in place next month or go for another hike.
On the Seoul bourse, top-cap shares traded mixed.
Samsung Electronics, the No. 1 memory chipmaker in the world, declined 0.3 percent, while its rival SK hynix lost 0.75 percent.
Battery shares were also weak, with industry leader LG Energy Solution down 0.86 percent and its smaller rival Samsung SDI down 1.33 percent.
Leading chemical producer LG Chem lost 1.29 percent.
POSCO shares also lost ground.
Steel giant POSCO Holdings dropped 0.78 percent and its battery component-making affiliate POSCO Future M retreated 0.6 percent.
But IT and financial shares were strong.
Internet portal operator Naver gained 0.26 percent, and Kakao, the operator of the country's top mobile messenger, rose 1.84 percent.
KB Financial Group, Shinhan Financial Group and Hana Financial Group jumped 3.73 percent, 2.92 percent and 4.89 percent, respectively.
Bio shares also traded in positive terrain, with Samsung Biologics up 1.38 percent and Celltrion up 2.66 percent.
Hyundai Motor was flat, while its affiliate Kia was up 0.72 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,349.30 won against the U.S. dollar at 11:20 a.m., up 1.2 won from Thursday's close.
South Korean stock, ETF, derivatives and commodity markets will all be closed for the next three days, as Monday is the Hangeul Day holiday, which celebrates the proclamation of the Korean alphabet.
Source: Yonhap News Agency