South Korean shares traded lower late Monday morning, tracking their cue from the decline on Wall Street as investors opted to cash in part of their recent gains.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 11.53 points, or 0.53 percent, to 2,153.05 as of 11:20 a.m.

Large caps traded mixed with market kingpin Samsung Electronics falling 0.99 percent, and global chipmaker SK hynix down 0.21 percent.

Top automaker Hyundai Motor rose 0.66 percent, while its smaller affiliate Kia Motors traded 0.14 percent lower.

POSCO, the No. 1 steelmaker, advanced 1.37 percent.

Naver, the operator of the country's top Internet portal, declined 1.81 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,126.60 won against the US dollar, up 4.3 won from the previous session's close. (Yonhap)