Seoul shares down slightly in late-morning trade

South Korean stocks traded slightly lower later Thursday morning led by losses from large-cap shares, such as techs and battery makers.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) had decreased 5.55 points, or 0.2 percent, to 2,749.56 as of 11:20 a.m.Tech giant SK hynix, the second-largest share in terms of market cap, fell 0.33 percent, and leading battery maker LG Energy Solution, the third-heaviest share on the KOSPI, lost 1.22 percent.Hyundai Mobis, an auto parts affiliate under Hyundai Motor Group, dropped 2.08 percent, and leading zinc smelter Korea Zinc declined 0.87 percent.But top-cap Samsung Electronics edged up 0.13 percent.The local currency was trading at 1,346.45 won against the U.S. dollar, up 2.15 won from the previous session's close.Source: Yonhap News Agency