U.S. dollar ticks down

The U.S. dollar fell in late trading on Friday.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback against six major peers, dropped 0.26 percent to 98.481 at 15:00. (1900 GMT).

In late New York trading, the euro increased to 1.1622 dollars from 1.1584 dollars in the previous session, and the British pound advanced to 1.3417 dollars from 1.3410 dollars in the previous session.

The U.S. dollar bought 148.77 Japanese yen, higher than 148.73 Japanese yen of the previous session. The U.S. dollar fell to 0.8017 Swiss francs from 0.8057 Swiss francs, and it fell to 1.3726 Canadian dollars from 1.3750 Canadian dollars. The U.S. dollar was down to 9.6785 Swedish kronor from 9.7572 Swedish kronor.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Wednesday that Seoul firmly adheres to the one-China principle, in comments made ahead of his upcoming state visit to China.

The remarks were made in an interview with China Media Group (CMG). The visit is scheduled for Jan 4–7.

"The consensus reached between governments of the Republic of Korea and China when diplomatic relations were established continues to be the fundamental principle governing our relations, and its effectiveness remains steadfast. I want to clearly state that the ROK has always adhered to the one-China principle. Maintaining peace and stability in regional matters, including in Northeast Asia and concerning the Taiwan issue, holds significant importance to us," said Lee.

"The foundational relationship between the ROK and China was established on a very principled and fundamental basis from the beginning. It is clear that the ROK government has always adhered to this position and has never wavered from it. I believe that the sound development of ROK-China relations depends on both sides fully respecting each other's core interests and being mutually tolerant of each other's positions. In this context, we will, as always, uphold the one-China principle as the Taiwan issue is China's most fundamental concern," he said.