Seoul shares up late Tues. morning

SEOUL, March 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks trimmed earlier gains late Tuesday morning after a strong start on hopes over peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) was up 8.66 points, or 0.32 percent, to 2,738.22 as of 11:20 a.m.

The index got off to a strong start, tracking gains on the U.S. market, and has maintained the momentum thanks mainly to solid buying by institutional investors.

In Seoul, most blue chips were mixed, with tech and steel shares leading the gains.

Market bellwether Samsung Electronics went up 0.29 percent, battery behemoth LG Energy Solution jumped 1.25 percent, and major chipmaker SK hynix was up 0.85 percent.

The South Korean currency was trading at 1,220.8 won against the U.S. dollar, up 6.5 won from the previous session's close.
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