[THE INVESTOR] South Korean stocks inched up late morning on Oct. 27, supported by gains in tech and cosmetics sectors.

The benchmark KOSPI increased 4.73 points, or 0.23 percent, to 2,018.62 as of 11:20 a.m.

Top market cap Samsung Electronics rose 2.04 on speculation that its earnings may improve down the road. Earlier in the day, the tech giant reported its third-quarter operating profit slid 29.6 percent from a year earlier, mainly hit by Galaxy Note 7 smartphone’s production halt over safety issues.

Major chipmaker SK hynix shed 0.23 percent on profit-taking.

Cosmetics makers continued to rebound. AmorePacific, the No.1 player, advanced 1.26 percent.

Naver, the country’s top portal operator, rose 0.83 percent.

Hyundai Motor, the country’s top automaker, shed 1.09 percent while its smaller affiliate Kia Motors declined 0.84 percent.

The South Korean won was trading at 1,137.60 won against the US dollar, down 3.60 won from the previous session’s close.

(theinvestor@heraldcorp.com)