South Korean stocks closed lower Tuesday as investors remained cautious ahead of a potential U.S. government shutdown. 

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index(KOSPI) fell six-point-61 points, or zero-point-19 percent, on Tuesday to close at three-thousand-424-point-60.

The United States is on the brink of its first government shutdown in almost seven years, which will begin Tuesday if Congress fails to reach a budget agreement. 

In Seoul, shipbuilding and defense shares were among the winners with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hanwha Aerospace jumping four-point-78 percent and four-point-53 percent, respectively.

The tech-heavy KOSDAQ slid four-point-72 points, or zero-point-56 percent, to close at 841-point-99.

The South Korean won weakened by four-point-two won against the U.S dollar to trade at one-thousand-402-point-nine won as of 3:30 p.m.