Seoul stocks open higher on Wall Street gains

SEOUL, July 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korean shares opened higher on Friday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 11.47 points, or 0.57 percent, to 2,020.24 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Market watchers pay attention to whether the KOSPI will maintain momentum after a four-session winning streak.

The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 134.29 points, or 0.7 percent, to 18,506.41.

Line Corp., a Japanese massaging app operator owned by South Korea's internet portal Naver Corp., made a successful debut on the New York Stock Exchange.

The shares, which were priced at US$32.84 each, surged 26.6 percent to finish at $41.58. Line was also listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Friday.

In Seoul, top cap Samsung Electronics Co. lost 0.2 percent, and leading automaker Hyundai Motor Co. added 1.52 percent. Naver gained 0.95 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,133.55 won against the U.S. dollar, up 3.85 won from the previous session's close.

lcd@yna.co.kr
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