Seoul: Won eases on North Korea jitters; stocks see modest gain

[SEOUL] The South Korean won eased on Tuesday after North Korea said it was working to improve its nuclear weapons "in quality and quantity".

The won closed down 0.3 per cent at 1,186.7 to the dollar. It was hovering around 1,183 before North Korea's comments.

South Korean shares rose 0.3 per cent to 1,973.56 points, but gains were capped by caution over whether the US Federal Reserve will raise interest rates at its meeting later in the week.

Foreigners were net buyers early in the session but then changed and became net sellers for a 29th straight session.

During the period, they sold a net 5.8 trillion won (S$6.86 billion) worth of shares, preliminary data showed.

REUTERS