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, analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) moved up 14.28 points, or 0.73 percent, to 1,979.99 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Shares gathered ground across the board, with No. 1 carmaker Hyundai Motor rising 0.5 percent and top steelmaker POSCO adding 0.95 percent. Leading chipmaker SK hynix advanced 1.02 percent.

U.S. stocks ended higher on Friday on the country's improved jobs data, with the Dow Jones industrial average adding 0.96 percent and the NASDAQ composite index rising 1.14 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,095.40 won against the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., up 1.70 won from Friday's close. (Yonhap News)