* KOSPI rises, foreigners net sellers
* Korean won weakens against dollar
* South Korea benchmark bond yield falls
SEOUL, July 16 (Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial markets:
** South Korean shares were flat on Tuesday, as battery makers partially offset strong performances by automakers, while defence stocks extended their climb on the prospect of Donald Trump's victory in November's U.S. presidential elections.
** The benchmark KOSPI held its ground at 2,861.18, as of 0045 GMT.
** The Transport Equipment Index was the biggest gainer with a 1.65% jump. Shares of Hyundai Motor climbed 2.05% and sister automaker Kia Corp rose 1.67%.
** Battery maker LG Energy Solution slid 2.37% and peer Samsung SDI dropped 2.78%, tracking losses in U.S. battery stocks.
** Among other index heavyweights, chipmaker Samsung Electronics rose 0.35%, while rival SK Hynix lost 0.43%, search engine Naver and instant messenger Kakao were down 2.21% and 1.31%, respectively.
** Hanwha Aerospace rose 3.58%, Hanwha Systems jumped 3%, and LIGNex1 climbed 2.36% as traders weighed expectations that Republican Donald Trump might win the U.S. presidential race after he survived an assassination attempt over the weekend.
** Of the total 928 traded issues, 372 shares advanced, while 471 declined.
** Foreigners were net sellers of shares worth 65.8 billion won ($47.46 million) on the main board.
** The won was quoted at 1,386.3 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform, 0.22% lower than its previous close at 1,383.2.
** In money and debt markets, September futures on three-year treasury bonds rose 0.04 point to 105.57.
** The most liquid three-year Korean treasury bond yield fell 3.1 basis points to 3.061%, while the benchmark 10-year yield eased 1.3 basis points to 3.163%.
($1 = 1,386.2900 won) (Reporting by Jihoon Lee; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
