Shares opened higher Friday, tracking gains on Wall Street, after weekly U.S. jobless claims data offered fresh hope for the Federal Reserve's rate cuts this year.
The main Kospi bourse fell 1.63 percent on Friday to close at 2,591.86 as investors shed risky assets with worsening tension in the Middle East.
Hana Bank celebrated the opening of its new "Hana Infinity Seoul" trading room as part of the firm's plan to expand around the globe.
An employee holds yen bills at Hana Bank's Counterfeit Notes Response Center in Jung District, central Seoul on Wednesday.
The Finance Ministry will facilitate foreign exchange transactions for overseas investors, a move in line with the government’s latest initiative to lure foreign investors and resolve the so-called “Korea Discount."
The revision to the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act passed the Cabinet the same day, which is part of the government effort since earlier this year to improve Korea's foreign exchange system to make foreign funds more accessible.
Retail investors can directly trade on foreign exchange markets using their own devices, with the Korean government allowing financial institutions to provide real-time pricing information and foreign exchange orders to their clients.
The local currency reached the 1,277-won-per-dollar level during the day, hitting this year's highest point, before closing at 1,275.30 won against the dollar, down 1.1 won from Tuesday's close.
Korea's foreign exchange reserves fell to $449.3 billion in April, down by $8.5 billion on month, according to the Bank of Korea Wednesday.
The Japanese yen plunged against the dollar to trade at the 120 yen to dollar level, the lowest since February 2016, from about 114 to 115 yen at the end of February.
Korea JoongAng Daily Sitemap