Seoul: South Korean stocks narrowed their losses late Wednesday morning as investors hunted for bargains amid geopolitical uncertainties stemming from Washington's ambition over Greenland. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shed 17.67 points, or 0.36 percent, to 4,868.08 as of 11:20 a.m.
According to Yonhap News Agency, top market cap Samsung Electronics gained 2 percent, while SK hynix lost 0.27 percent. Leading battery maker LG Energy Solution shed 2.67 percent. Hyundai Motor jumped 9.39 percent, backed by growing investor optimism over its robotics and autonomous driving initiatives, including its affiliate Boston Dynamics' next-generation humanoid robot, Atlas.
The local currency was trading at 1,472 won against the greenback at 11:20 a.m., up 6.1 won from the previous session.