South Korean shares traded higher late Wednesday morning, set to close at a fresh record high, as individual buyers scooped up market heavyweights amid upward momentum, analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index gained 4.52 points, or 0.2 percent, to 2,316.26 as of 11:20 a.m.

Large caps on the Seoul bourse were largely mixed.

Market behemoth Samsung Electronics remained unchanged after opening higher as investors tried to cash in recent gains. Its smaller rival LG Electronics, meanwhile, added 1.23 percent to hit a record high and major chipmaker SK hynix advanced 1.45 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,126.20 won against the US dollar, down 2 won from the previous session's close. (Yonhap)