Seoul: South Korean stocks pared earlier gains late Wednesday morning as investors exercised caution awaiting the results of the U.S. presidential election. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) had increased by 2.57 points, or 0.1 percent, reaching 2,579.45 by 11:20 a.m., after initially starting 0.37 percent higher. According to Yonhap News Agency, major U.S. indexes had advanced overnight following a report on the services industries, which indicated continued strength in the U.S. economy. This boosted blue-chip tech shares such as Nvidia, Intel, and Tesla. Investors are now keenly observing the competition between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris for the U.S. presidency. In the Seoul market, tech giant Samsung Electronics saw a decline of 0.35 percent, while its competitor in chipmaking, SK hynix, climbed 1.86 percent. Among battery makers, LG Energy Solution fell by 0.6 percent, and Samsung SDI dropped 0.63 percent. In the chemical sector, LG Chem decreas ed by 2.33 percent. Meanwhile, Korea Zinc, the world's largest smelter currently embroiled in a management control dispute, plummeted 5.17 percent after the financial regulator demanded a revision to its capital increase plan. On a positive note, financial shares saw gains, with KB Financial advancing 1.32 percent and Shinhan Financial rising 1.66 percent. The local currency was trading at 1,391.0 won against the U.S. dollar, down 12.4 won from the previous session.