Korea Hot Stocks-Builders rally on Thai water project, Samsung Elec rebounds

SEOUL, June 10 (Reuters) - South Korea's main KOSPI share index was up 0.4 percent at 1,931.46 as of 0517 GMT. The index opened up 0.17 percent at 1,927.19.

The following stocks were on the move on Monday :

**BUILDERS RALLY ON THAI WATER PROJECT NEWS**

South Korean builders including Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co Ltd rallied on Monday after a consortium led by Korea Water Resources Corp was picked as a preferred bidder for Thai water project.

The project, worth 6.2 trillion won ($5.55 billion), includes building waterways and reservoirs, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Monday.

"The consortium has been picked as a preferred bidder ... Final agreement is expected to be signed in August and the project itself will probably begin next year," the ministry official told Reuters.

Shares in construction companies in the consortium were buoyed by the news. Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co Ltd rose 1.5 percent, GS Engineering & Construction Corp advanced 0.9 percent, and Daelim Industrial Co Ltd climbed 1.5 percent. Samwhan Corp shares spiked 15 percent, while Daewoo Engineering & Construction Co Ltd edged down 0.6 percent.

0517 GMT

**SAMSUNG ELEC SHARES REVERSE LOSSES, REBOUND FIRMLY**

Shares in Samsung Electronics reversed opening falls and rebounded on Monday after seeing their biggest daily fall in nine months in the previous session.

"(Samsung Electronics) share price at current level is good to buy," said a senior fund manager at a Seoul-based French investment house, declining to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

"Yes, there were worries about (Galaxy) S4, but I also heard that the sell-off on Friday was also due to a foreign fund house locking in profits, as part of a liquidity measure," he added.

Since late-January, Samsung Electronics shares had climbed around 11 percent as of last Thursday's close, compared with the broader market's 1 percent gain during the same period.

Samsung Electronics shares' 12-month forward price earnings multiple and price-to-book ratio stood at 6.2 and 1.4 respectively, compared with rival Apple Inc's 10.5 and 2.7, ThomsonReuters' StarMine data showed.

Shares in Samsung Electronics were up 0.7 percent as of 0056 GMT, partially making a recovery after plunging more than 6 percent on Friday.

0056 GMT ($1 = 1117.0750 Korean won) (Reporting by Jungyoun Park; Editing by Sunil Nair and Anand Basu)