Seoul shares open higher on blue-chip gains

South Korean stocks started higher on Wednesday, fueled by gains in blue-chip exporters, analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) increased 0.53 percent, or 10.02 points, to 1909.60 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Shares gathered ground across the board, with market bellwether Samsung Electronics rising 0.46 percent and its smaller rival LG Electronics gaining 0.4 percent. Leading automaker Hyundai Motor climbed 0.67 percent.

The U.S. stock market was closed on Tuesday due to Hurricane Sandy marching along the East Coast, which is expected to cause some of the worst storm damage to the country in a decade.

The local currency was trading at 1,090.55 won to the greenback as of 9:15 a.m., up 0.95 won from Tuesday's close. (Yonhap News)