S. Korean shares open higher on tech, steel

SEOUL, April 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks opened higher Wednesday on the back of robust gains by tech firms and steelmakers.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index climbed 0.23 percent to 2,128.81 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Market behemoth Samsung Electronics added 0.67 percent, and No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix moved up 0.61 percent. LG Electronics advanced 0.43 percent.

Steelmakers also continued to gain ground, with POSCO rising 0.37 percent and Korea Zinc adding 2.2 percent. Hyundai Steel moved up 0.18 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,147.70 won against the U.S. dollar, down 1.9 won from the previous session's close.

colin@yna.co.kr
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