SEOUL, March 30 (Xinhua) -- South Korean stocks pared losses on Monday after panic selling, triggered by continued Middle East tensions.
The benchmark KOSPI dropped 161.57 points, or 2.97 percent, to close at 5,277.30, while the smaller KOSDAQ dived 34.46 points, or 3.02 percent, to finish at 1,107.05.
The KOSPI extended its losing streak to a third straight session on the back of geopolitical risks in the Middle East.
The KOSPI started 4.73 percent lower, but it trimmed earlier losses as institutional investors turned into net buyers.
Foreign investors led the sell-off, but retail investors prevented a deeper rout through a dip-buying in both the KOSPI and the KOSDAQ.
The South Korean won versus the U.S. dollar exchange rate finished its daytime session at 1,515.7 won per dollar as of 3:30 p.m. local time (0630 GMT), up 6.8 won from the previous session's daytime close.
Market bellwether Samsung Electronics and memory chip giant SK Hynix ended 1.89 percent and 5.31 percent lower each.
The country's top automaker Hyundai Motor tumbled 5.15 percent, but the largest battery maker LG Energy Solution increased 3.93 percent.
The No. 1 biopharmaceutical contract manufacturer Samsung Biologics fell 4.73 percent, and the leading aerospace and defense company Hanwha Aerospace dipped 2.02 percent.
The biggest shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries went down 3.71 percent, and the energy infrastructure leader Doosan Enerbility was down 3.98 percent. ■
