Seoul shares up late Fri. morning on techs, autos

Seoul shares rebounded late Friday morning as investors hunted bargains for technology and automobile shares amid the growing geopolitical uncertainties in the Middle East. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 0.64 percent, or 16.51 points, to 2,578.2 as of 11:20 a.m. Top tech giant Samsung Electronics moved up 0.16 percent, and No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix advanced 3.19 percent. Leading carmaker Hyundai Motors rose 1.48 percent, and its sister Kia gained 1.01 percent. Auto parts maker Hyundai Mobis climbed 1.86 percent. Naver, which operates the country's top search engine, rose 1.61 percent, and its rival Kakao added 1.04 percent. The local currency was trading at 1,333.6 won against the U.S. dollar, down 14.3 won from the previous session. Source: Yonhap News Agency