Seoul shares open tad higher on U.S. gain

South Korean stocks opened slightly higher Friday, buoyed by overnight gains on Wall Street on the improved U.S. jobs data, analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) gained 1.49 points, or 0.08 percent, to 1,876.97 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Carmakers traded higher, with No. 1 Hyundai Motor rising 0.9 percent and its auto parts affiliate Hyundai Mobis adding 0.97 percent. Top shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries gained 0.51 percent.

In contrast, tech shares traded bearish, with market behemoth Samsung Electronics falling 0.23 percent and leading chipmaker SK hynix losing 0.86 percent. Samsung SDI, a local plasma display panels maker, shed 1.23 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,125.25 won against the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., up 1.05 won from Thursday's close. (Yonhap News)