Seoul shares start higher on U.S. gains

South Korean stocks opened higher Thursday as investor sentiment got a boost from overnight gains on Wall Street following improved jobs data, analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) climbed 15.25 points, or 0.81 percent, to trade at 1,899.29 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Shares gathered ground across the board, with market bellwether Samsung Electronics increasing 1.08 percent and top steelmaker POSCO adding 0.81 percent. No. 2 carmaker Kia Motors edged up 0.37 percent.

U.S. stocks ended higher Wednesday as investors also anticipated a brighter future on the volatile political condition in the Middle East, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average moving up 0.38 percent and the NASDAQ composite index gaining 0.34 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,085.75 won against the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., up 2.45 won from Wednesday's close. (Yonhap News)