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

    SEOUL, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial
markets:
    
** South Korean shares rose on Thursday, on track for their
biggest daily gain in about five weeks, as progress on the
debt-ceiling impasse in Washington lifted sentiment while
declining energy prices also helped. The Korean won
strengthened, while the benchmark bond yield fell.
    
** The benchmark KOSPI         rose 50.06 points, or 1.72%, to
2,958.37, as of 02:43.
    
** Among the heavyweights, technology giant Samsung Electronics
            rose 0.84% and peer SK Hynix             fell 0.41%,
while LG Chem             fell 0.40% and Naver             rose
4.83%.
    
** "Inflation concerns were somewhat easing as gas prices were
falling, while progress on extension of the U.S. debt ceiling
was also positive for markets," said Na Jeong-hwan, an analyst
at Cape Investment & Securities.
    
** U.S. natural gas futures plunged over 10%, a day after they
soared to a 12-year high.             
    
** In South Korea, the government sold dollar bonds worth $500
million at a 25-basis-point premium over 10-year U.S.
Treasuries, at 1.769%, the ministry said in a statement.
               
        
** Foreigners were net sellers of 29.7 billion won worth of
shares on the main board. 
    
** The won was quoted at 1,189.7 per dollar on the onshore
settlement platform           , 0.22% higher than its previous
close at 1,192.3.
    
** In offshore trading, the won        was quoted at 1,190.0 per
dollar, same as the previous day.
    
** The KOSPI has risen 2.95% so far this year, but lost 6.1% in
the previous 30 trading sessions.
    
** The trading volume during the session in the KOSPI index
        was 353.16 million shares. Of the total traded issues of
925, the number of advancing shares was 792.
    
** The won has lost 8.7% against the dollar so far this year.
    
** The most liquid 3-year Korean treasury bond yield fell by 2.2
basis points to 1.702%, while the benchmark 10-year yield fell
by 2.7 basis points to 2.373%.

 (Reporting by Cynthia Kim; Additional reporting by Jihoon Lee;
Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)