South Korean stocks traded higher late Friday morning, backed by advances in chipmakers and battery makers. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index had gained 22.02 points, or 0.82 percent, to 2,711.52 as of 11:20 a.m. Overnight, the U.S. stock market closed mixed as investors remained cautious ahead of key jobs data to be released later in the day, which will likely set the tone for the Federal Reserve's rate policy. In Seoul, market bellwether Samsung Electronics edged up 0.13 percent, and major chipmaker SK hynix soared 4.03 percent. Top battery maker LG Energy Solution rose 1.56 percent, and Samsung SDI jumped 2.3 percent. Steel giant POSCO Holdings also advanced 1.57 percent, and leading chemical producer LG Chem surged 2 percent. The local currency was trading at 1,365.50 won against the U.S. dollar, up 7.5 won from the previous session's close. Source: Yonhap News Agency
