Seoul shares open higher on U.S. gains

South Korean stocks opened higher on Monday, tracking gains on Wall Street in the previous trading session on investors' bargain hunting, analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) moved up 7.37 points, or 0.39 percent, to 1914.12 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Shares gathered ground across the board, with market behemoth Samsung Electronics adding 0.81 percent and its smaller local rival LG Electronics rising 0.91 percent. Leading auto parts maker Hyundai Mobis advanced 1.13 percent.

U.S. stocks ended higher on Friday as listed firms' first-quarter earnings met market expectations, with the Dow Jones industrial average adding 0.07 percent and the NASDAQ composite index rising 1.25 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,120.05 won against the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., down 3.75 won from Friday's close. (Yonhap News)