SEOUL: South Korean stocks traded 0.48 percent higher late Thursday morning, buoyed by gains in financials, analysts said.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 10.18 points to 2,117.68 as of 11:20 a.m.
Financial firms led the gain, as the most valuable financial firm Shinhan Financial Group climbed 2.49 percent and KB Financial Group rose 1.4 percent.
State-run utility giant Korea Electric Power Corp. advanced 1.42 percent, while IT solutions provider Samsung SDS surged 8.14 percent.
In contrast, market bellwether Samsung Electronics slipped 0.38 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,107.55 won against the U.S. dollar, down 2.05 won from Wednesday’s close.
