Seoul shares turn higher late Tuesday morning on tech gains

Korean shares experienced a late morning surge on Tuesday as foreign investors took advantage of bargain prices in big-cap technology stocks. Initially opening 0.95 percent lower, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rebounded by 33.37 points, or 0.53 percent, reaching 6,333.03 by 11:20 a.m. This shift was driven by foreign investors purchasing 1.29 trillion won ($911.2 million) worth of shares, balancing out a combined 1.13 trillion-won selling pressure from retail and institutional investors.

The previous day, U.S. markets had slipped from their record highs, with the S&P 500 falling 0.1 percent, the Dow Jones Industrial Average declining 0.1 percent, and the tech-focused Nasdaq Composite dropping 0.3 percent. Following the U.S. market's dip, Korean stocks initially mirrored the downward trend. However, as the morning progressed, most large-cap shares recovered their footing.

Notably, Samsung Electronics, a market bellwether, rose by 3.26 percent, while its rival, SK hynix, declined 0.63 percent. The Korean won strengthened against the U.S. dollar, trading at 1,415.8 won by 11:20 a.m., marking a 2.5 won increase from the previous close.