Seoul shares start higher on Greek bailout settlement

South Korean stocks opened higher Tuesday on the settlement of the Greece bailout deal, analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) climbed 5.80 points, or 0.3 percent, to trade at 1,914.31 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Tech blue chips drove up the shares, with market behemoth Samsung Electronics increasing 0.71 percent, while LG Electronics gained 1.05 percent. Top steelmaker POSCO added 0.47 percent.

Carmakers also traded higher, with No.1 player Hyundai Motor rising 0.46 percent and its affiliate auto parts maker Hyundai Mobis climbing 1.48 percent. Kia Motors moved up 0.17 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,084.35 won against the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., up 1.15 won from Monday's close. (Yonhap News)