[THE INVESTOR] Korean stocks ended higher on Jan. 19, boosted by increased buying by institutions. The Korean won rose against the US dollar.

The benchmark KOSPI rose 4.45 points, or 0.18 percent, to 2,520.26.

Institutions turned net buyers of domestic stocks worth more than 38 billion won (US$39 million) while foreigners were net sellers, largely offloading tech stocks.

Still, foreign and institutional investors bought retail, construction, machinery and chemical stocks, giving a boost to the main index, said Park Chun-young, an analyst at Daishin Securities.

Large-cap stocks had a mixed day of trading across the board.

Top carmaker Hyundai Motor rose 4.52 percent to 162,000 won, and LG Chem, a major chemicals and battery firm, was up 1.56 percent to 423,500 won.

Among decliners, market bellwether Samsung Electronics fell 1.16 percent to 2,466,000 won, and No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix was down 2.53 percent to 73,300 won.

The local currency closed at 1,065.90 won against the US dollar, up 4.80 won from the previous session’s close.

By Alex Lee and newswires (alexlee@heraldcorp.com)