Seoul stocks up 1.09 pct in late morning

SEOUL, Feb. 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks traded 1.09 percent higher late
Tuesday morning as foreign and retail investors hunted for blue-chip bargains,
analysts said.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) advanced 12.52 points to
1,159.47 as of 11:20 a.m.
"The key index rebounded from an opening fall, buoyed mainly by overseas
investors picking up large-cap stocks following recent hefty falls," said Lim
Dong-min, a market analyst at Dongbu Securities.
Semiconductor makers got the biggest boost from foreign buying, while
shipbuilders and financial shares recovered from recent plunges.
The local currency was trading at 1,393.1 to the U.S. dollar as of 11:20 a.m.,
down 3.1 won from Monday's close.
pbr@yna.co.kr
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