Seoul shares open higher on improved U.S. data

South Korean stocks opened higher Monday as investor sentiment was boosted by the better-than-expected gross domestic product growth in the U.S. in the third quarter, analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 0.58 percent, or 10.93 points, to 1,902.36 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Shares gathered ground across the board, with market bellwether Samsung Electronics Co. gaining 0.54 percent while top automaker Hyundai Motor Co. added 0.22 percent. Leading steelmaker POSCO climbed 0.15 percent.

Construction shares also traded higher, with top builder Hyundai Engineering & Construction increasing 1.77 percent, while GS Engineering & Construction gained 0.98 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,095.55 won to the greenback as of 9:15 a.m., up 1.45 won from Friday's close. (Yonhap News)