Seoul shares open higher on technical gains

South Korean stocks started higher on Friday, led by gains in blue-chip shares, analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) climbed 9.16 points, or 0.51 percent, to 1,794.55 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

On Thursday, the KOSPI dropped 2.24 percent to close at 1,785.39 points on growing concerns over a slowdown in Asia's fourth-largest economy.

Most shares gained ground across the board, with market bellwether Samsung Electronics rising 1.01 percent. Leading carmaker Hyundai Motor gained 0.69 percent despite its first strike in three years slated for later afternoon.

The local currency was trading at 1,154.05 won to the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., down 2.55 won from Thursday's close. (Yonhap News)