Seoul shares extend losses late Thu. morning

South Korean stocks extended losses late Thursday morning amid uncertainties surrounding the future course of the U.S. key rates. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 9.61 points, or 0.35 percent, to 2,735.44 as of 11:20 a.m. Top tech giant Samsung Electronics fell 0.12 percent to 81,200 won, and No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix shed 0.11 percent to 177,800 won. South Korea's top online portal operator Naver dropped 1.41 percent amid Japan's pressure on the firm following last year's data leakage incident. Energy firms gained ground, with Korea Electric Power Corp. rising 2.33 percent and Korea Gas advancing 2.54 percent. The local currency was trading at 1,367.9 won against the U.S. dollar, down 6.4 won from the previous session's close. Source: Yonhap News Agency