S.Korea stocks drop as worries over earnings prompt profit-booking

    * KOSPI drops, foreigners net sellers
    * Korean won flat versus U.S. dollar
    * South Korea benchmark bond yield rises

    SEOUL, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial
markets:
    
** South Korean shares slipped on Tuesday, even as Wall Street
hit record highs, as concerns over domestic corporate earnings
prompted investors to take profits. The Korean won was steady,
while the benchmark bond yield rose.
    
** Wall Street's main indexes posted record closing highs on
Monday after President Donald Trump said an initial U.S.-China
trade pact would be signed soon, while Boeing gave the Dow a big
boost after the planemaker ousted its chief executive officer.
            
 
** China will lower tariffs on products ranging from frozen pork
and avocado to some types of semiconductors next year as Beijing
looks to boost imports amid a slowing economy and a trade war
with the United States.             
    
** As of 0205 GMT, the Seoul stock market's main KOSPI        
fell 9.39 points, or 0.43%, to 2,194.32.
    
** For the KOSPI's further rise, earnings of South Korean
companies should improve, said Noh Dong-kil, an analyst at NH
Investment & Securities. Particularly, prices of memory chips
should rise, he added. 
        
** Shares of Hanjin Kal            , parent company of Korean
Air Lines            , extended gains after the company's
heiress issued a statement opposing her brother.                
    
** Foreigners were net sellers of 43.0 billion won ($36.94
million) worth of shares on the main board. 
    
** The won was quoted at 1,164.2 per dollar on the onshore
settlement platform           , 0.01% higher than its previous
close at 1,164.3.
    
** In offshore trading, the won        was quoted at 1,164.2 per
U.S. dollar, down 0.1% from the previous day, while in
non-deliverable forward trading its one-month contract
              was quoted at 1,162.5 per dollar.
    
** MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan
                was down 0.18%, after U.S. stocks posted record
closing highs            . Japanese stocks         fell 0.08%.
 
** The KOSPI has risen 7.51% so far this year, and gained 3.7%
in the previous 30 trading sessions.
 
** The trading volume during the session in the KOSPI index
        was 296.51 million shares and, of the total traded
issues of 906, the number of advancing shares was 326.
 
** The won has lost 4.2% against the dollar so far this year.
 
** In money and debt markets, March futures on three-year
treasury bonds         rose 0.01 points to 110.49. 
 
** The most liquid 3-year Korean treasury bond yield rose by 0.1
basis points to 1.381%, while the benchmark 10-year yield rose
by 0.1 basis points to 1.643%.

($1 = 1,163.9700 won)

 (Reporting by Hayoung Choi; Editing by Rashmi Aich)