Seoul shares open higher on tech gains

South Korean stocks got off to a strong start on Tuesday as tech heavyweights, including Samsung Electronics, posted firm gains, analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) jumped 13.86 points, or 0.75 percent, to 1,865.51 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

 Samsung Electronics climbed 1.02 percent after falling more than 2 percent in the previous session due to a U.S. court decision banning sales of its Galaxy Nexus smartphones.

Other tech blue chips lent support. LG Electronics rose 3.28 percent and SK Hynix advanced 1.48 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,144.65 won to the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., up 1.45 won from Monday's close. (Yonhap News)