* KOSPI rises, foreigners net buyers

* Korean won strengthens against U.S. dollar

* South Korea benchmark bond yield falls

* For the midday report, please click

SEOUL, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial markets:

** South Korean shares rose on Thursday as the U.S. Federal Reserve signalled its inflation target has been met and it would end its pandemic-era bond purchases, lifting risk appetite. The Korean won strengthened, while the benchmark bond yield fell.

** The benchmark KOSPI closed up 17.02 points, or 0.57%, at 3,006.41, extending gains to a second day.

** Chip giants led the gains with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix rising 0.26% and 0.40%, respectively, while biopharmaceutical firm Samsung Biologics added 5.97%.

** The Fed said it would begin raising interest rates as much as three times next year as the economy nears full employment and the U.S. central bank copes with a surge of inflation.

** At home, the Bank of Korea governor said he sees the increasing threat of inflation taking hold in the economy and left the door open for an interest rate hike as early as January in a press conference on the central bank's bi-annual review of inflation.

** The country said it will reinstate stricter social distancing rules after easing them under a 'living with COVID-19' policy, as the number of new infections and serious cases spirals.

** On the main KOSPI board, foreigners bought net 183.1 billion won ($154.68 million) worth of shares.

** The won ended at 1,183.9 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform, 0.11% higher than its previous close.

** In offshore trading, the won was quoted at 1,183.8 per dollar, up 0.1% from the previous day, while in non-deliverable forward trading its one-month contract was quoted at 1,182.9.

** In money and debt markets, December futures on three-year treasury bonds rose 0.15 point to 109.28.

** The benchmark 10-year yield fell by 1.7 basis points to 2.149%.

($1 = 1,183.7100 won) (Reporting by Joori Roh; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)