SEOUL-- South Korean stocks traded nearly flat late Thursday morning as investors took to the sidelines in the final trading session of the year.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 0.70 points, or 0.02 percent, to 2,993.99 points as of 11:10 a.m.
The market opened higher following a drop in the previous session, but the stocks traded sideways to wobble between positive and negative terrain amid a lack of market-moving events.
Big-cap tech shares rose on bargain hunting, with market bellwether Samsung Electronics rising 0.25 percent, and No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix surging 3.54 percent.
But auto, chemical and steel shares offset their gains to drag down the index.
Top carmaker Hyundai Motor fell 0.47 percent, and No. 1 steelmaker POSCO decreased 1.08 percent. LG Chem plunged 1.59 percent.
Retail investors went into a buying mode, offsetting selling by institutions and foreigners.
The local currency was trading at 1,184.20 won against the U.S. dollar, up 2.3 won from the previous session's close.
Source: Yonhap News Agency