Seoul shares up 0.19 pct in late morning trade

SEOUL, Oct. 31 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks traded 0.19 percent higher late Friday morning, led by gains in large-cap shares, analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 3.64 points to 1,962.57 as of 11:20 a.m.

Samsung Electronics, the world's largest smartphone maker, jumped 4.91 percent and its brokerage affiliate Samsung Securities added 1.05 percent on a planned stock buyback program.

Mobile carriers were strong on the first day of the local release of iPhone 6. Industry leader SK Telecom climbed 0.19 percent and runner-up KT gained 2.96 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,056.2 won against the U.S. dollar as of 11:20 a.m., down 0.7 won from Thursday's close.

brk@yna.co.kr
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