Seoul shares up on Wall Street gains

South Korean stocks traded higher late Tuesday morning after opening in positive terrain, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 5.30 points, or 0.20 percent, to 2,628.59 as of 11:20 a.m. Overnight, U.S. stocks finished at record highs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.47 percent to close at 43,065.22, breaching the 43,000 mark for the first time, while the S and P 500 also climbed to a record high of 5,859.85. In Seoul, large caps were mixed. Market kingpin and tech giant Samsung Electronics gained 0.49 percent, with its chipmaking rival SK hynix surging 2.72 percent. Top automaker Hyundai Motor advanced 0.20 percent, but its smaller affiliate Kia Motors shed 0.40 percent. Leading battery maker LG Energy Solution tumbled 3.20 percent, while its local rival Samsung SDI also dipped 2.65 percent. The local currency was trading at 1,359.60 won against the U.S. dollar, down 3.70 won from the previous session. Source: Yonhap News Ag ency