South Korea fines JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, Nomura and UBS for short selling breaches

South Korea's market watchdog has decided to impose fines on JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, Nomura and UBS for violating short-selling rules in the domestic stock market, officials at the country's Financial Supervisory Service said on Thursday.

"We have concluded administrative sanctions, meaning imposing fines," an official said, declining to provide further details because the decision had not been officially disclosed.

The decision was made on Wednesday by the Securities and Futures Commission, according to another official at the FSS.

Nomura said it was not aware of any decision by the regulator and could not comment. JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley declined to comment, while UBS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.