Seoul: South Korean stocks traded higher late Wednesday morning, lifted by gains of Samsung Electronics and auto shares, amid lingering uncertainties over negotiations with the United States on its sweeping tariff scheme. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 21.22 points, or 0.66 percent, to 3,251.79 as of 11:20 a.m.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the index opened slightly higher, despite Wall Street losses, and had extended gains on solid foreign buying. South Korea has gone all-out for tariff talks with the U.S. to clinch a deal ahead of the August 1 deadline. In the latest round of meetings, Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol, Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan, and Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo held two-hour talks with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in Washington on Tuesday.

Koo is scheduled to meet with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington on Thursday, and Foreign Minister Cho Hyun also plans to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Tech and auto shares led the upturn of the index, with market bellwether Samsung Electronics surging 2.69 percent, while chip giant SK hynix remained unchanged. Top automaker Hyundai Motor advanced 1.49 percent, and its sister affiliate Kia soared 2.37 percent.

Meanwhile, leading battery maker LG Energy Solution fell 0.26 percent, and defense systems giant Hanwha Aerospace sank 2.71 percent. Leading financial firm KB Financial increased 1.26 percent, and leading shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy climbed 0.53 percent. However, nuclear power plant manufacturer Doosan Enerbility lost 1.69 percent, and No. 1 steelmaker POSCO tumbled 0.79 percent. The local currency was trading at 1,382.1 won against the U.S. dollar at 11:20 a.m., up 8.9 won from the previous session.