South Korean stocks closed with minimal change on Tuesday, as investors awaited signals on the US rate decision. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index ended the day down 0.01 percent, with trade volume at 432 million shares worth 11.3 trillion won. Foreign investors bought a net 45.4 billion won worth of local shares, while individuals sold a net 145 billion won. Analysts noted that the flat performance of Seoul shares was influenced by the semiconductor sector, despite positive export data. There were also reports of Samsung's HBM chips facing challenges in tests by Nvidia. In terms of individual stock movements, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix saw modest gains, while LG Energy Solution and Samsung SDI experienced declines. The local currency strengthened against the US dollar, closing at 1,358.5 won, up 5.3 won from the previous session.