S.Korea stocks hit 6-week high as Omicron concerns wane

    * KOSPI rises, foreigners net buyers
    * Korean won strengthens against U.S. dollar
    * South Korea benchmark bond yield falls

    SEOUL, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial
markets:
    
    ** South Korean shares jumped on Wednesday to a six-week
high, tracking Wall Street's overnight tech lead, as investors
tempered fears about the impact of the Omicron variant despite a
record jump in domestic coronavirus cases.
    
    ** The won strengthened, while the benchmark bond yield
fell.
    
    ** By 0155 GMT, the benchmark KOSPI         was up 31.74
points, or 1.06%, at 3,023.46, after having gained as much as
1.48% to the highest intraday level since Oct. 27.
    
    ** Chip giant Samsung Electronics             led benchmark
gains with a 0.78% jump while battery maker LG Chem            
and platform company Naver             added 4.64% and 1.28%,
respectively. 
    
    ** South Korean technology-related shares tracked a rally on
Wall Street overnight after U.S. infectious disease official
Anthony Fauci said the variant has a higher degree of
transmissibility, but is seen less severe, according to
preliminary evidence.                  
    
    ** Lifting market sentiment further was British drugmaker
GSK's         statement that its antibody-based COVID-19 therapy
is effective against all mutations of the new Omicron variant.
            
    
    ** South Korea reported a record 7,175 new virus cases for
Tuesday even after it reimposed limits on private gatherings,
while there are 38 confirmed cases of the Omicron variant so
far.             
    
    ** On the main board, foreigners were net buyers of 122.5
billion won ($104.19 million) worth of shares.
    
    ** The won was quoted at 1,175.6 per dollar on the onshore
settlement platform           , 0.33% higher than its previous
close.
    
    ** In offshore trading, the won        was quoted at
1,175.9, while in non-deliverable forward trading its one-month
contract               was quoted at 1,176.1.
    
    ** In money and debt markets, December futures on three-year
treasury bonds         rose 0.12 point to 109.05.
    
    ** The benchmark 10-year yield fell by 4.5 basis points to
2.195%.

    ($1 = 1,175.7100 won)

 (Reporting by Joori Roh; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)