Seoul: South Korean stocks traded lower late Thursday morning as investors focused on the upcoming tariff talks with the United States. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 13.68 points, or 0.54 percent, to 2,511.88 as of 11:20 a.m.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the index opened slightly lower, despite gains on Wall Street, and experienced further decline due to selling by foreign and institutional investors. South Korea and the U.S. were set to hold tariff discussions in Washington later in the day, following the Donald Trump administration's decision to delay the implementation of 25 percent reciprocal tariffs on South Korean imports for 90 days.

Tech shares were among the hardest hit, contributing to the index's decline. Market leader Samsung Electronics saw a decrease of 0.72 percent, while chip giant SK hynix dipped by 1.16 percent. Leading battery manufacturer LG Energy Solution fell by 1.58 percent, and the top steelmaker POSCO Holdings dropped 1.83 percent.

In the biotech and pharmaceutical sectors, Samsung Biologics fell by 2.63 percent, and major pharmaceutical firm Celltrion decreased by 0.88 percent. The automotive sector also saw declines, with top automaker Hyundai Motor going down by 0.79 percent, and its sister company Kia losing 0.67 percent.

However, there were some gains in the defense sector, where major firm Hanwha Aerospace rose by 0.61 percent. Meanwhile, the local currency was trading at 1,429.70 won against the U.S. dollar at 11:20 a.m., down 9.1 won from the previous session.