South Korean stocks inched up 0.23 percent Monday despite inter-Korean military tension, as investors waited for manufacturing data releases in the United States and China, analysts said. The South Korean won traded higher against the U.S. dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) gained 4.61 points to 1,985.61. Trading volume was thin at 236.9 million shares worth 4.38 trillion won (US$4.1 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 447 to 339.