Seoul shares turned lower on profit-taking after opening higher Tuesday, as concerns over rising bond yields at multidecade highs weighed on investor sentiment.
After opening 0.58 percent higher, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 8.14 points, or 0.12 percent, to 6,995.60 as of 9:15 a.m.
Investors are now turning their attention to upcoming corporate earnings, although higher interest rates, elevated energy costs and renewed inflation worries are pushing up global bond yields.
Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.18 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite gained 1.05 percent.
In Seoul, large-cap stocks were mixed.
Market bellwether Samsung Electronics rose 0.36 percent, and top carmaker Hyundai Motor climbed 0.87 percent.
LG Electronics jumped 6.02 percent as it has secured a long-term agreement to supply chillers for artificial intelligence data centers with a North American company.
Among decliners, Samsung's chipmaking rival SK hynix fell 1.14 percent, and Korea Aerospace Industries declined 2.1 percent.
The Korean won was trading at 1,343.20 won against the US dollar, down 0.8 won from the close of the previous stock trading session. (Yonhap)
