South Korean shares retreat as chipmakers track US peers lower

* KOSPI falls, foreigners net sellers * Korean won strengthens against dollar * South Korea benchmark bond yield rises SEOUL, Oct 22 (Reuters) – Round-up of South Korean financial markets: ** South Korean stocks fell on Wednesday after a five-session rally, as chipmakers followed their U.S. peers lower, while LG Chem jumped after Palliser Capital urged the company to refresh its board. ** The benchmark KOSPI was down 23.67 points, or 0.62%, at 3,800.17, as of 0044 GMT, retreating from a record high on Tuesday. ** South Korea's industry minister will visit the U.S. on Wednesday for urgent talks aimed at finalising a tariff deal that has been on hold over the details of a $350 billion investment, ahead of an Asia-Pacific summit later this month. ** The Bank of Korea will keep its key interest rate unchanged for a third consecutive meeting on Thursday, prioritising economic stability over a recovery in growth, according to a Reuters poll. ** Among index heavyweights, chipmaker Samsung Electronics fell 1.44% and peer SK Hynix lost 1.57%, after the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index dropped 0.7% on Tuesday. ** LG Chem surged 9.68%, after Palliser Capital urged the South Korean battery materials maker to refresh its board and buy back shares. Battery maker LG Energy Solution also climbed 3.60%. ** Hyundai Motor and sister automaker Kia Corp were down 0.39% and 0.09%, respectively. Steelmaker POSCO Holdings added 0.68%, while drugmaker Samsung BioLogics rose 2.01%. ** Of the total 922 traded issues, 220 shares advanced, while 648 declined. ** Foreigners were net sellers of shares worth 263.7 billion won ($185.51 million). ** The won was quoted at 1,429.4 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform, 0.18% higher than its previous close at 1,432.0. ** In money and debt markets, December futures on three-year treasury bonds gained 0.01 point to 106.77. ** The most liquid three-year Korean treasury bond yield fell by 0.2 basis point to 2.606%, while the benchmark 10-year yield rose by 0.1 basis point to 2.904%. ($1 = 1,421.4800 won) (Reporting by Jihoon Lee; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)

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