Seoul shares open higher on U.S. gains

South Korean stocks got off to a strong start on Thursday, boosted by overnight rallies on Wall Street, analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) jumped 27.2 points, or 1.52 percent, to 1,822.11 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

U.S. stocks closed higher on Wednesday on the back of U.S. Fed chief Ben Bernanke's remarks and firm gains in technology shares.

Blue chips led the KOSPI's gains. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics jumped 2.43 percent and top automaker Hyundai Motor added 2.07 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,138.25 won to the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., up 4.35 won from Wednesday's close. (Yonhap News)