Round-up of South Korean financial markets: South Korean shares ended lower on Tuesday, as investors were wary about a swift turnaround in exports and corporate earnings, while steering clear of making big bets ahead of holiday. The Korean won inched higher, while the benchmark bond yield fell.

The Seoul stock market's main KOSPI closed down 13.63 points, or 0.62 percent, at 2,190.08.

Though the index rose nearly 5 percent so far this month, South Korea's exports data showed that overseas demand were not recovering quickly, said Huh Jae-hwan, an analyst at Eugene Investment. This has caused investors to take profits, he added. South Korean exports fell again in the first 20 days of December according to official data on Monday, but a recovery in demand from China and stabilising chip prices offered signs that a year-long run of declines may be nearing its end.

Foreigners were net sellers of 141.3 billion won ($121.45 million) worth of shares on the main board. The won was quoted at 1,163.9 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform, 0.03 percent higher than its previous close at 1,164.3.

In offshore trading, the won was quoted at 1,163.5 per US dollar, down 0.0 percent from the previous day, while in non-deliverable forward trading its one-month contract was quoted at 1,161.5 per dollar.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was down 0.12 percent, after US stocks posted record highs overnight.