Seoul shares slipped on Thursday, with technology issues such as Samsung Electronics taking a breather after a rally in the previous session and amid falls in banking issues such as KB Financial Group. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index ended down 0.43 percent at 2,106.66 points, weighed by foreign selling which amounted to 147.3 billion won ($132.4 million). The KOSPI 200 March futures index fell 1.4 points to 278.35 points.
The KOSPI 200 spot index lost 1.5 points to 277.75. The junior Kosdaq index rose 0.07 percent to 533.36. "The market is taking a rest after posting a series of record highs. Caution is also setting in before key quarterly results this week and next," said SK Securities market analyst Won Jong-hyuck.
Samsung Electronics, the world's No 1 memory chip maker, fell 1.3 percent after hitting a record high in the previous session. But fund managers said the shares still offered attractive valuations and up to 20 percent upside room this year. Samsung Electronics shares still trade at around a 10 percent discount to its long 5-year average forward price earnings multiple, StarMine data showed.