Seoul shares closed nearly steady on Wednesday as earlier gains backed by offshore bids were erased by local investors cashing out on short-term positions amidst unresolved debt issues in Europe and signs of weakness in the US economic recovery. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) finished up 0.18 percent to close at 1,959.24 points.
Foreign investors snapped up a net 416.7 billion won ($370.9 million) worth of shares while institutional funds dumped shares for a seventh consecutive day, offloading a net 275.7 billion won worth.
Gains were led by construction shares, with Hyundai Engineering & Construction soaring 4.75 percent while Samsung Engineering climbed 4.9 percent. LG Electronics Co gained 1.93 percent after staging a turnaround in the fourth quarter. The KOSPI 200 index inched up 0.06 percent while the junior, tech-heavy KOSDAQ index closed 1.02 percent higher.