South Korean stocks opened higher Monday, taking a cue from overnight gains on Wall Street, analysts said.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) edged up 1.36 points, or 0.07 percent, to 1,988.17 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
Shares gathered ground across the board, with No. 1 carmaker Hyundai Motor rising 0.26 percent and top steelmaker POSCO adding 0.93 percent. Leading mobile carrier SK Telecom added 2.13 percent.
U.S. stocks ended higher on Friday on the country's improved consumer sentiment, with the Dow Jones industrial average adding 0.8 percent to an all-time high and the NASDAQ composite index rising 0.97 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,119.45 won against the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., down 3.05 won from Thursday's close. The local stock market was closed Friday for Buddha's birthday. (Yonhap News)
