South Korean stocks traded slightly lower late Friday morning, as investors were wary of the Chinese economy and the Federal Reserve's monetary tightening.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) had lost 3.74 points, or 0.15 percent, to 2,516.11 as of 11:20 a.m.
The index opened lower, tracking overnight Wall Street losses, but most of the earlier losses were erased on solid buying by individuals following five consecutive days of losses.
Investor sentiment has remained weak on concerns about further Federal Reserve rate hikes to bring inflation under control, which has pushed up the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield to near recent highs.
Eyes are also on China's real estate sector and the broader economy, as property giant Evergrande Group filed for bankruptcy in the United States and Country Garden is struggling with debt problems.
In Seoul, big-cap tech shares lost ground on the Seoul bourse.
Market bellwether Samsung Electronics fell 0.15 percent, and leading battery maker LG Energy Solution lost 1.85 percent.
But chip giant SK hynix surged 2.35 percent.
POSCO Holdings decreased 0.18 percent and Samsung SDI dropped 1.15 percent. LG Chem sank 1.72 percent.
Carmakers traded higher, with top automaker Hyundai Motor surging 1.19 percent and Kia going up 0.77 percent.
Bio shares traded mixed. Major biotech firm Samsung Biologics fell 0.13 percent, while Celltrion spiked 4.87 percent after it announced a merger with its sales and marketing affiliate Celltrion Healthcare a day earlier.
The local currency was changing hands at 1,336.15 won against the U.S. dollar as of 11:20 a.m., up 5.85 won from the previous session's close.
Source: Yonhap News Agency