Seoul shares traded higher late Thursday morning after the Bank of Korea held its key rate steady in line with market expectations. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index had increased 24.31 points, or 0.85 percent, to 2,892.3 as of 11:20 a.m. In Seoul, tech giant Samsung Electronics rose 0.34 percent, and No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix added 3.14 percent. Leading battery maker LG Energy Solution also gained 2.21 percent, and Samsung SDI climbed 1.21 percent. Financial firms also traded bullish, with KB Financial moving up 2.03 percent and Shinhan Financial increasing 1.76 percent. The local currency was trading at 1,379.1 won against the U.S. dollar at 11:20 a.m., up 5.6 won from the previous session's close. Source: Yonhap News Agency