Seoul shares up 0.21 pct in late-morning trade

South Korean stocks traded a tad higher late Thursday morning as major stocks traded in mixed territory. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) had added 5.53 points, or 0.21 percent, to 2,658.84 as of 11:20 a.m. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics edged down 0.14 percent but its chipmaking rival SK hynix vaulted 3.83 percent on the better-than-expected earnings report of its customer Nvidia. Major arms company Hanwha Aerospace rose 1.3 percent and top oil refinery SK Innovation advanced 0.4 percent. But leading mobile carrier SK Telecom fell 1.88 percent and KB Financial Group lost 1.84 percent. The local currency was trading at 1,332.7 won against the U.S. dollar, up 2 won from the previous session's close. Source: Yonhap News Agency