Seoul shares gained 1.9 percent on Monday after substantial falls in the previous session, helped by rallies in key blue chip technology counters including Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index finished up 1.89 percent or 37.4 points at 2,014.59 points. The KOSPI 200 March futures index rose 5.9 points to 265.60 points. The KOSPI 200 spot index gained 5.62 points to 266.02 points. The junior Kosdaq index rose 0.51 percent to 520.35 points.
Samsung Electronics jumped 4.2 percent, breaking a five-session losing streak following the launch of its new Galaxy Tab and Nokia's belated attempts to catch up in the smartphone market. News that Nokia had made last-ditch attempt to catch up with Google Inc and Apple by teaming up with Microsoft Corp boosted sentiment further.
Other technology plays also advanced. LG Electronics Inc rallied 4.7 percent and Hynix Semiconductor Inc rose 3.1 percent. But STX Offshore & Shipbuilding tumbled 11.2 percent after news that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd had signed a letter of intent to build a new generation of ships with Meyer Werft. STX Offshore participated in bidding for the order.