Seoul: Seoul shares turned lower late Friday morning as investors offloaded stocks to lock in profits amid lingering worries over U.S. tariff policies. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 14.57 points, or 0.46 percent, to 3,177.72 as of 11:20 a.m.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the KOSPI reversed earlier gains after opening higher, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.52 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite climbed 0.75 percent. Foreigners and individuals sold a net 20.53 billion won (US$15 million) and 78.47 billion won worth of stocks, respectively, while institutions bought a net 61.92 billion won of stocks.

U.S. President Donald Trump recently notified key U.S. trading partners of new tariff rates set to take effect August 1 unless they offer sweetened terms in ongoing negotiations. In Seoul, large-cap stocks were mixed. Top carmaker Hyundai Motor fell 0.46 percent, and leading shipbuilder HD Hyundai declined 2.18 percent. SK Telecom dropped 0.35 percent, and Korea Electric Power Corp. shed 0.27 percent.

Among gainers, Samsung Electronics rose 0.6 percent and chip giant SK hynix climbed 0.37 percent. Leading steelmaker POSCO Holdings gained 1.63 percent, and LG Energy Solution rose 1.42 percent. The local currency was trading at 1,390.95 won against the U.S. dollar at 11:20 a.m., up 1.65 won from the previous session.