KOSPI Expected To Reclaim 2,400-Point Level

Ahead of the long weekend for the Lunar New Year, the South Korea stock market had moved higher in back-to-back sessions, collecting more than 25 points or 1 percent along the way. The KOSPI now rests just shy of the 2,400-point plateau and it's tipped to add to its winnings on Wednesday as it catches up on missed positive sentiment.

The global forecast for the Asian markets is murky, with profit taking likely after recent gains - especially among the oil and technology companies. The European and U.S. markets were mixed and little changed and the Asian bourses are tipped to follow suit.

The KOSPI finished modestly higher on Friday following gains from the technology, industrial, oil and chemical companies, while the financials were mixed.

For the day, the index added 14.92 points or 0.63 percent to finish at 2,395.26 after trading between 2,372.57 and 2,395.97. Volume was 295.3 million shares worth 4.96 trillion won. There were 568 gainers and 254 decliners.