*

KOSPI flat, foreigners net buyers

*

Korean won sees slight gains against dollar

*

South Korea benchmark bond yield inches lower

SEOUL, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial markets:

** South Korean shares were flat on Wednesday, after falling nearly 2% the previous day, as investors shrugged off the central bank's expected 50-basis-point rate hike. The Korean won firmed slightly, while the benchmark bond yield inched lower.

** The benchmark KOSPI was up 1.26 points, or 0.06%, at 2,193.33 as of 0104 GMT. The index was mostly in range-bound trading in the morning session, after a 1.83% drop on Tuesday.

** South Korea's central bank raised interest rates by half a percentage point for a second time since July, as projected by 23 out of 26 economists in a Reuters poll.

** "The expected rate hike did not have much direct impact on the market, while it helped foreign inflows by limiting upside to dollar-won exchange rates," Cape Investment and Securities' Analyst Na Jeong-hwan said.

** Among heavyweights, technology giant Samsung Electronics rose 1.08% and peer SK Hynix gained 2.33%, while battery maker LG Energy Solution declined 3.12%.

** Of the total traded issues of 929, the number of advancing shares was 375.

** Foreigners were net buyers of shares worth 97.6 billion won ($68.15 million), in their eighth straight buying session on the main board.

** The won was quoted at 1,432.7 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform, up 0.17%.

** In offshore trading, the won was quoted flat at 1,431.7 per dollar, while in non-deliverable forward trading, its one-month contract was quoted at 1,431.4.

** In money and debt markets, December futures on three-year treasury bonds rose 0.12 point to 101.65.

** The most liquid three-year Korean treasury bond yield fell by 2.3 basis points to 4.319%, while the benchmark 10-year yield fell by 1.8 basis points to 4.286%. ($1 = 1,432.1500 won) (Reporting by Jihoon Lee; editing by Uttaresh.V)