Kospi rises 0.48% on China's economic growth

KOSPI rose 0.48 percent to 1,953.78 on Monday on China's better-than-expected economic growth in the fourth quarter of last year.

The Chinese economy grew 7.7 percent in the October-December period, compared with analysts' estimates of 7.6 percent.

Institutes bought 54.3 billion won, while foreign investors sold 23.2 billion won.

Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor rose 1.86 percent and 1 percent, respectively. POSCO and KB Financial dropped.

Kosdaq climbed 0.4 percent to 519.99.

Japan's Nikkei was down 0.59 percent to 15,641.68.

By Lee Kyu-jin, staff reporter

Park Sae-jin swatchsjp@ajunews.com