* KOSPI falls, foreigners net sellers
* Korean won weakens against U.S. dollar
* South Korea benchmark bond yield rises
SEOUL, May 27 (Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial
markets:
** South Korean shares dropped the most in two weeks on
Thursday, dragged down by tech heavyweights and on fears that
central banks were closer to considering winding back their
emergency stimulus. The won weakened, while the benchmark bond
yield rose.
** The benchmark KOSPI fell 19.41 points, or 0.61%,
to 3,149.02 as of 0217 GMT, set for its sharpest decline since
May 13.
** Battery maker LG Chem tumbled near 5%,
following a 6.73% drop on Wednesday, as its unit LG Energy
Solution said it would be voluntarily recalling its Energy
Storage System (ESS) batteries which is expected to cost the
company around 400 billion won ($358.21 million).
** Among other heavyweights, chip giant Samsung Electronics
fell 0.63%, while internet giant Naver
and Hyundai Motor dropped 2.34% and 1.12%,
respectively.
** Foreigners were net sellers of 230.3 billion won ($206.05
million) worth of shares on the main board.
** South Korea's central bank kept monetary policy unchanged
on Thursday but upgraded its economic outlook as exports and
inflation perked up, shifting the focus to the prospects of an
end to current accommodative settings.
** "As the recent weight rebalancing in MSCI takes effect,
shares in South Korea, Japan and Taiwan, which weightings have
been reduced, are falling together," said Shinhan Investment
Corp analyst Choi Yoo-june.
** The won was quoted at 1,118.6 per dollar on the onshore
settlement platform , 0.15% lower than its previous
close at 1,116.9.
** In offshore trading, the won was quoted at
1,117.8, while in non-deliverable forward trading its one-month
contract was quoted at 1,117.1.
** In money and debt markets, June futures on three-year
treasury bonds rose 0.03 points to 110.90.
** The benchmark 10-year yield rose by 2.7 basis points to
2.154%.
($1 = 1,117.6800 won)
(Reporting by Joori Roh; Additional reporting by Jihoon Lee;
Editing by Rashmi Aich)
