(ATTN: ADDS bond prices at bottom, reason for the drop in 3rd para)
SEOUL, Feb. 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks ended lower Tuesday as foreigners dumped local stocks, tracking losses on Wall Street. The won fell against the dollar.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 38.44 points, or 1.54 percent, to 2,453.31. The main index ended in negative territory for a third straight session.
On Monday, U.S. stocks fell sharply on concerns that the Federal Reserve could raise rates earlier than expected. It affected Asian bourses, including the Korean main stock exchange, analysts said.
Foreigners sold a net 281.21 billion won (US$258 million) worth of stocks. But institutions and individuals bought a combined 278 billion won worth of shares.
Most large-cap stocks declined across the board.
Market bellwether Samsung Electronics Co. fell 1.04 percent to 2,371,000 won a day after a Seoul court allowed the chip giant's Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong to be released on probation. Top carmaker Hyundai Motor Co. fell 0.94 percent to 157,500 won.
The local currency closed at 1,091.50 won against the dollar, down 3.00 won from the previous session's close.
Bond prices, which move inversely to yields, closed higher. The yield on three-year Treasurys fell 3.4 basis points to 2.253 percent, and the return on benchmark five-year government bonds declined 5.3 basis points to 2.504 percent.
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