SEOUL: South Korean stocks traded 0.27 percent higher late Monday morning as pharmaceutical and logistics companies extended gains, analysts said.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) inched up 5.55 points to 2,045.95 as of 11:20 a.m.
LG Life Sciences, a major pharmaceutical firm, climbed 2 percent and logistics company Hyundai Glovis hiked nearly 3 percent.
In contrast, builders and IT services firms trended lower. Hyundai Development, a local construction firm, tumbled 4 percent, with Internet search portal giant Naver dipping 3.5 percent.
The local currency was changing hands at 1,134.40 won against the greenback as of 11:20 a.m., down 9.7 won from Friday’s close.