Seoul: Shares fall as foreigners' 5-day buying streak ends; won edges up

[SEOUL] Seoul shares closed lower on Wednesday, with losses led by chemical and refinery counters, as foreigners turned net sellers for the first time in six days.

The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) ended down 0.5 per cent to 2,009.55 points.

Foreign investors snapped a five-day buying streak, offloading a net 100 billion won (S$121.2 million) of shares in the main bourse, preliminary data showed.

On the currency market, the South Korean won edged higher in local trade, closing up 0.3 per cent at 1,146.8 per dollar after choppy trading.

Meanwhile, a South Korean foreign exchange official said that the won has fallen less against the dollar in recent months than other major currencies have.

REUTERS