South Korean stocks opened higher Wednesday led by gains in large-cap financial shares amid the continuing U.S. debt ceiling negotiations, analysts said.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 4.6 points, or 0.23 percent to 2,045.56 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
KB Financial Group, the No. 2 lender, shot up 2.5 percent and Hana Financial Group, the third largest banking firm, soared 2.8 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,068.25 won against the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., down 1.45 won from Tuesday's close. (Yonhap News)
