South Korean won hits 5-week high, shares fall slightly

SEOUL: The South Korean won hit a 5-week intraday high on Monday, as exporters sold dollars after stock markets around the world showed resilience to the latest tensions in Ukraine.

The won ended local trade at 1,017.6 per dollar after hitting a session high of 1,015.5, its strongest since July 11, compared with Thursday's domestic close of 1,021.2. South Korean financial markets were closed on Friday for a public holiday.

In contrast, Seoul shares fell by half a percent to 2,053.13 points on profit-taking after a four-day rally sparked by hopes the government's stimulus measures would lift the market further.