Seoul stocks up 0.7 pct late Tuesday morning

SEOUL, Jan. 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks traded 0.7 percent higher Tuesday morning ahead of the signing of a trade deal between the United States and China, with top market cap Samsung Electronics hitting a fresh record high.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) had risen 15.59 points to reach 2,244.85 as of 11:20 a.m.

Mot large-cap stocks traded higher.

The world's No.1 memory chipmaker, Samsung Electronics, added 1 percent, and major chipmaker SK hynix increased 1.49 percent.

In contrast, Samsung BioLogics, a biopharmaceutical affiliate of Samsung Group, lost 0.79 percent, and another bio firm, Celltrion, was down 0.84 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,152.2 won against the U.S. dollar, up 3.8 won from Monday's close.

khj@yna.co.kr
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