SEOUL: South Korean stocks traded 0.27 percent higher late Thursday morning, led by gains in cosmetics and telecom stocks, analysts said.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 5.64 points to 2,103.53 as of 11:20 a.m.
Amore Pacific, a leading cosmetics maker, soared 3.5 percent, with mobile carrier LG Uplus rising nearly 4 percent.
But other market heavyweights continued to trade in negative territory. Chipmaker SK hynix fell 1.8 percent and Naver, the operator of South Korea’s top search portal, shed 1.5 percent.
The local currency was changing hands at 1,122.65 won against the greenback as of 11:20 a.m., down 5.15 won from Wednesday’s close.