S.Korea stocks flat on caution ahead of exports data, N.Korea speech

    * KOSPI flat, foreigners net sellers
    * Korean won strengthens versus U.S. dollar
    * South Korea benchmark bond yield falls

    SEOUL, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial
markets:
    
** South Korean shares were nearly unchanged on Monday as
investors were wary ahead of exports data, while geopolitical
tensions around North Korea weighed on the sentiment. The Korean
won strengthened, while the benchmark bond yield fell.
    
** As of 0215 GMT, the Seoul stock market's main KOSPI        
fell 0.97 points, or 0.04%, to 2,203.24.
    
** For the month, the KOSPI was set to rise 5.64%. The index was
on track for an around 8% jump for 2019. 
    
** Investors are taking a pause after the benchmark index gained
sharply, said Lee Kyoung-min, an analyst at Daishin Securities.
They are cautious awaiting cues from exports data and New Year's
speech by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, he added.
    
** North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for "positive and
offensive measures" at a ruling party meeting to ensure security
ahead of a year-end deadline he has set for denuclearisation
talks with the United States, state media KCNA said on Monday.
            
    
** South Korea's December trade data, which is due at 9 a.m.
(0100 GMT) on Jan. 1, will be the first monthly foreign trade
data to be published by a major exporting economy.             
    
** Shares of Hanjin Kal            , parent company of Korean
Air Lines            , surged as much as 12% in early trade,
after media reports on escalating feud involving the founding
family.             
        
** Foreigners were net sellers of 49.0 billion won ($42.29
million) worth of shares on the main board. 
    
** The won was quoted at 1,159.9 per dollar on the onshore
settlement platform           , 0.14% higher than its previous
close at 1,161.5.
    
** In offshore trading, the won        was quoted at 1,158.8 per
U.S. dollar, unchanged from the previous day, while in
non-deliverable forward trading its one-month contract
              was quoted at 1,156.3 per dollar.
    
** MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan
                was down 0.02%, after U.S. stocks were mixed on
Friday            . Japanese stocks         fell 0.49%.
    
** The KOSPI has risen 8.07% so far this year, and gained 3.0%
in the previous 30 trading sessions.
    
** The trading volume during the session in the KOSPI index
        was 188.38 million shares and, of the total traded
issues of 905, the number of advancing shares was 443.
    
** The won has lost 3.8% against the dollar so far this year.
    
** In money and debt markets, March futures on three-year
treasury bonds         rose 0.05 points to 110.55, while the
3-month Certificate of Deposit rate was quoted at 1.53%.
    
** The most liquid 3-year Korean treasury bond yield fell by 1.0
basis points to 1.360%, while the benchmark 10-year yield fell
by 0.5 basis points to 1.680%.

($1 = 1,158.6900 won)

 (Reporting by Hayoung Choi; Editing by Rashmi Aich)