South Korean shares give up early gains as investors head for holidays

By Reuters News02:34 (UTC), 23 September 2026 Updated

SEOUL, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial markets:

** South Korean shares gave up early gains to trade little changed on Wednesday as investors turned risk-averse ahead of a long holiday break.

** The benchmark KOSPI .KS11 was up 11.26 points, or 0.16%, at 7,029.17, as of 0214 GMT, after rising nearly 2% earlier in the session.

** The Nasdaq .IXIC notched a record-high close on Tuesday, lifted by Micron Technology MU.O and other AI-related stocks, while the S&P 500 .SPX hovered just below a record high as oil prices traded around $100 per barrel. .N

** South Korean financial markets will be closed on Thursday and Friday for Chuseok holidays.

** South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump welcomed "significant progress" in discussions on strategic investment projects during a 30-minute meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Seoul's presidential office said.

** Chipmaker Samsung Electronics 005930.KS was up 1.90% and SK Hynix 000660.KS was higher 0.11%, after rising sharply earlier in the session on an overnight rally in US peers.

** Among other index heavyweights, battery maker LG Energy Solution 373220.KS climbed 0.29%, while Hyundai Motor 005380.KS and sister automaker Kia Corp 000270.KS were down 1.94% and 1.86%, respectively.

** Steelmaker POSCO Holdings 005490.KS shed 1.89%, while drugmaker Samsung BioLogics 207940.KS fell 0.93%.

** Of the total 910 traded issues, 292 shares advanced, while 566 declined.

** Foreigners were net sellers of shares worth 188.1 billion won ($139.14 million).

** The won was quoted at 1,351.0 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform , 0.41% higher than its previous close at 1,356.5.

** In money and debt markets, December futures on three-year treasury bonds gained 0.08 point to 102.37.

** The most liquid three-year Korean treasury bond yield rose by 0.8 basis point to 4.016%, while the benchmark 10-year yield fell by 5.5 basis points to 4.409%.

($1 = 1,351.9000 won)