* KOSPI falls, foreigners net sellers

* Korean won weakens against dollar

* South Korea benchmark bond yield rises

SEOUL, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial markets:

** South Korean shares were flat on Tuesday as investors refrained from placing big bets ahead of the Bank of Japan's policy decision, while sentiment also remained tepid amid escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula.

** The won weakened and the benchmark bond yield rose.

** The benchmark KOSPI held its ground at 2,565.44, as of 0212 GMT.

** Japan's central bank concludes a policy meeting on Tuesday at which members are likely to debate whether economic conditions are falling into place for the BOJ to begin unwinding ultra-loose monetary settings.

** Pulling down risk appetite, North Korea said on Tuesday it had tested the isolated state's newest ICBM to gauge the war readiness of its nuclear force against mounting U.S. hostility, as Washington and its allies began operating a real-time missile data sharing system.

** Among index heavyweights, South Korean chipmaker Samsung Electronics rose 0.27% and peer SK Hynix lost 0.79%, while battery maker LG Energy Solution climbed 0.24%.

** Hyundai Motor added 0.26% and sister automaker Kia Corp was flat, while search engine Naver and instant messenger Kakao were down 0.67% and down 0.37%, respectively.

** Of the total 936 traded issues, 354 shares advanced, while 495 declined.

** Foreigners were net sellers of shares worth 104.9 billion won on the main board on Tuesday.

** The won was quoted at 1,306.1 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform, 0.68% lower than its previous close at 1,297.2.

** In offshore trading, the won was quoted at 1,306.3 per dollar, down 0.3% on the day, while non-deliverable forward trading its one-month contract was quoted at 1,303.5.

** The KOSPI gained 14.71% so far this year, and climbed 2.6% in the previous 30 trading sessions.

** The won lost 3.2% against the dollar so far this year.

** In money and debt markets, December futures on three-year treasury bonds fell 0.15 point to 104.57.

(Reporting by Cynthia Kim; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)