South Korean shares on track to snap 12-day rally as chip, auto stocks fall

SEOUL, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial markets:

South Korean shares fell on Tuesday, as chip and auto makers dragged on profit-taking pressure after leading the benchmark's record-setting rally for 12 straight sessions.

The benchmark KOSPI .KS11 was down 33.52 points, or 0.68%, at 4,871.14, as of 0143 GMT, after hitting a record high on Monday.

"U.S. stock futures as well as major markets in Europe and Japan went through a correction yesterday on Trump risks (around Greenland), and there will be limitations to the domestic market being unsynchronised with them," said Han Ji-young, an analyst at Kiwoom Securities.

U.S. President Donald Trump has linked his drive to take control of Greenland to his failure to win the Nobel Peace Prize, saying he no longer thought "purely of Peace" as the row over the island threatened to reignite a trade war with Europe.

The electric and electronic sector .KS41 and the transport equipment sector .KS42 were the biggest decliners, down 1.8% and 1.0%, respectively.

Chipmaker Samsung Electronics 005930.KS fell 2.61%, while peer SK Hynix 000660.KS lost 2.62%. Hyundai Motor 005380.KS and sister automaker Kia Corp 000270.KS were down 1.98% and 3.24%, respectively.

Still, most other sectors, as well as index heavyweights, rose. Battery maker LG Energy Solution 373220.KS climbed 0.50% and steelmaker POSCO Holdings 005490.KS added 1.01%, while drugmaker Samsung BioLogics 207940.KS rose 0.52%.

Of the total 928 traded issues, 616 shares advanced, while 276 declined.

Foreigners were net sellers of shares worth 398.4 billion won ($269.54 million).

In money and debt markets, March futures on three-year treasury bonds KTBc1 gained 0.01 point to 104.94.

The most liquid three-year Korean treasury bond yield KR3YT=RR rose by 0.5 basis point to 3.136%, while the benchmark 10-year yield KR10YT=RR rose by 5.0 basis points to 3.570%.

($1 = 1,478.1000 won)