S.Korean stocks tumble after recent surge; higher COVID-19 cases weigh - NewsBreak

* KOSPI falls, foreigners net sellers * Korean won weakens against U.S. dollar * South Korea benchmark bond yield falls SEOUL, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial markets: ** South Korean shares fell on Wednesday as investors took profits following recent gains in the market, with surging COVID-19 cases dampening sentiment further. Both the won and the benchmark bond yield fell. ** The KOSPI dropped 26.61 points, or 0.89%, to 2,970.60 by 0222 GMT, reversing earlier gains of as much as 0.25%. ** The index hit a two-week high during the session on Tuesday, after logging more than 1% jump on Friday and Monday. ** South Korea reported 3,187 new infections for Tuesday, the second-highest since the pandemic began and near the record 3,270 daily cases marked in late-September. This comes weeks after it took the first step toward 'living with COVID-19 here '. ** Meanwhile, U.S. retail sales surged more than expected, suggesting that high inflation was not yet dampening spendi