South Korean shares end lower on Middle East uncertainty
South Korean shares end lower on Middle East uncertainty SEOUL, June 19 (Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial markets:
** South Korean shares ended lower on Friday, after hitting an all-time high, amid uncertainty over the Middle East conflict.
** The benchmark KOSPI .KS11 closed down 11.42 points, or 0.13%, at 9,052.42. During the session, it rose as much as 3.55% to a record high.
** For the week, the index rose 11.4%, the biggest since early May.
** Talks that had been planned for Friday between the United States and Iran at the Burgenstock mountaintop resort in Switzerland will not take place, according to a statement from the Swiss foreign ministry.
** Among index heavyweights, chipmaker Samsung Electronics 005930.KS ended down 2.34%, after hitting a record high earlier in the session. Peer SK Hynix 000660.KS gained 2.94% to notch a record close.
** Battery maker LG Energy Solution 373220.KS climbed 1.13%, while Hyundai Motor 005380.KS and sister automaker Kia Corp 000270.KS were up 2.00% and down 2.46%, respectively.
** Steelmaker POSCO Holdings 005490.KS shed 2.86%, while drugmaker Samsung BioLogics 207940.KS fell 3.92%.
** Of the 918 issues traded, 115 advanced, while 787 declined.
** Foreigners were net sellers of shares worth 353.0 billion won ($231.34 million).
** The won was quoted at 1,526.0 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform KRW=KFTC, 0.92% higher than its previous close at 1,540.0.
** In money and debt markets, September futures on three-year treasury bonds KTBc1 lost 0.09 point to 102.94.
** The most liquid three-year Korean treasury bond yield KR3YT=RR rose by 2.7 basis points to 3.784%, while the benchmark 10-year yield KR10YT=RR rose by 5.4 basis points to 4.169%.
($1 = 1,525.9000 won)
(Reporting by Jihoon Lee; Editing by Rashmi Aich)