Seoul shares start higher on Wall Street gains

South Korean stocks opened higher on Wednesday, taking a cue from overnight Wall Street gains.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index gained 4.8 points, or 0.24 percent, to 1,971.11 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

On Tuesday, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 1.1 percent, buoyed by tech rallies and a rebound in crude oil prices.

The local currency was trading at 1,168.75 won against the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., up 0.85 won from Tuesday's close. (Yonhap)