The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index(KOSPI) edged up higher Monday as investors awaited potential progress in U.S. trade talks before the July deadline set by U.S President Donald Trump.

The KOSPI rose five-point-19 points, or zero-point-17 percent, to close at three-thousand-59-point-47.
 
The Trump administration’s looming August 1 tariff hike has investors closely monitoring negotiations, as the outcome, including possible extensions for some countries to strike tariff rate deals, could offer clues to the market's next move, analysts say.
 
In Seoul, chip giant SK hynix increased zero-point-18 percent, tobacco company KT&G Corp. spiked five-point-09 percent, battery maker LG Energy Solution gained one-point-45 percent and leading shipbuilder HD Hyundai climbed one-point-15 percent.
  
The tech-heavy KOSDAQ increased two-point-66 points, or zero-point-34 percent, to close at 778-point-46.