South Korean stocks turned higher late Thursday helped by increased buying by foreign investors.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 13.02 points, or 0.59 percent, to 2,232.69 as of 11:20 a.m.

Bae Sung-young, a market analyst at KB Securities Co., said foreign buying and improved corporate earnings pushed up the main index.

Most large-cap stocks were mixed across the board.

Market bellwether Samsung Electronics Co. rose 1.16 percent, and Naver, the top Internet portal operator, gained 0.75 percent.

Meanwhile, top automaker Hyundai Motor fell 0.66 percent, and top steelmaker Posco was down 2.18 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,132.25 won against the US dollar, down 1.75 won from the previous session's close. (Yonhap)