S. Korean shares extend gains in late morning trading

SEOUL, Jan. 11 (Yonhap) -- South Korean shares extended gains late Friday morning amid positive sentiment on the U.S.-China trade talks.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Prices Index rose 13.02 points, or 0.63 percent, to 2,076.31 as of 11:20 a.m.

Foreigners and individuals bought a combined 122.14 billion won (US$109 million) worth of stocks, offsetting institutions' net selling valued at 119.61 billion won.

The United States and China made upbeat comments about their trade talks in Beijing this week, hinting they may come up with positive results in the next rounds of negotiations. It appears to have given a boost to investor sentiment, analysts said.

Large-cap stocks were mixed across the board.

Market bellwether Samsung Electronics Co. rose 1.13 percent, but No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix Inc. fell 0.15 percent. Top carmaker Hyundai Motor Co. climbed 0.41 percent, but leading steelmaker POSCO declined 1.74 percent.

The Korean won traded at 1,119.10 won against the U.S. dollar, down 0.80 won from the previous session's close.

kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr
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