Stock transactions via mobile gadgets in South Korea reached a record high in March as a rising number of retail investors turned to smartphones and tablets for trading, the bourse operator said Thursday.

Mobile devices accounted for 13.4 percent of total transactions in the main KOSPI market last month, unchanged from February but up from 12.9 percent in January, the Korea Exchange said.

The figure had been steadily rising since first surpassing 10 percent in July 2013.

The ratio of mobile trading in the tech-laden KOSDAQ market came to 23.7 percent, keeping the upward trend since breaking through 20 percent in April last year, the KRX said.

Market watchers attributed the rising trading volume on mobile platforms to the widespread use of smartphones and trading applications offered by local brokerage houses seeking to lure more investors amid the recent market rally.

In contrast, the proportion of stock transactions via the home trading system on the main bourse declined from 28.8 percent in January to 26.1 percent in March, while the corresponding figure for the KOSDAQ fell from 56.8 percent to 55.2 percent in the same period, it noted. (Yonhap)