SEOUL: The South Korean won ended near two-week highs on Wednesday, as emails released by US President Donald Trump's son caused more controversy for his administration, taking a toll on the greenback.

The won strengthened 0.5 percent from Tuesday's close to 1,145.1 against the dollar at the conclusion of onshore trade, its highest close since June 30.

The emails, released by Donald Trump Jr., showed that he welcomed support from Russia for his father's 2016 election campaign.

South Korean shares took a breather with the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) ending down 0.2 percent at 2,391.77 points.

Offshore investors turned to net buyers of KOSPI shares. They purchased 89.1 billion won ($77.9 million) worth of local equities.