Korean stocks open higher on Wall Street gains

SEOUL, April 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks opened higher Friday, apparently taking a cue from overnight gains on Wall Street.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 12.91 points, or 0.75 percent, to reach 1,737.77 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

The solid start followed overnight gains on Wall Street, where a recovery in global oil prices helped ease investor concerns.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 2.24 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index climbed 1.72 percent.

In Seoul, most large caps were higher.

Market bellwether Samsung Electronics surged 1.39 percent, while No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix advanced 0.12 percent.

Top automaker Hyundai Motor added 0.12 percent, while its smaller affiliate Kia Motors slipped 0.19 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,227.25 won against the U.S. dollar, up 1.05 won from the previous session's close.

bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)