The Korean won weakened against the U.S. dollar on Wednesday, ending near the 1,480 level amid broad dollar strength.

The won was trading at 1,479-point-eight per dollar at 3:30 p.m., up two-point-eight won from the previous session.

It marked the highest level since April 9, when the exchange rate touched 1,484-point-one.

The currency opened lower at 1,474-point-five but reversed course late in the morning and climbed as high as 1,482-point-three during the session.

Market participants pointed to a stronger dollar as the main driver of the move.

The dollar index, which tracks the greenback against six major currencies, rose from 98-point-172 in late morning to 98-point-470 by mid-afternoon.