South Korean stocks traded almost flat late Friday morning as investors took to the sidelines ahead of the release of U.S. jobs data, analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shed 2.55 points, or 0.13 percent, to 1,987.32 as of 11:20 a.m.

Blue-chip shares traded mixed, with tech giant Samsung Electronics falling 0.14 percent while top chipmaker SK hynix added 3.07 percent. Flat panel maker LG Display advanced 4.7 percent.

Mobile carriers also traded mixed, with No. 1 SK Telecom falling 0.89 percent and its smaller rival KT losing 0.33 percent, while LG Uplus, the smallest player, added 0.5 percent.

The local currency was changing hands at 1,057.85 won against the greenback as of 11:20 a.m., up 1.75 won from Thursday's close. (Yonhap News)