Seoul shares open higher on hopes for U.S. debt limit talks

South Korean stocks got off to a strong start Tuesday, buoyed by hopes that the United States could soon reach a deal to solve the political impasse over its debt ceiling, analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) advanced 17.23 points, or 0.85 percent, to 2,037.50 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Shares gathered ground across the board, with machineries and service companies leading the climb. Doosan Heavy Industries, a major heavy equipment maker, soared nearly 2 percent, with NAVER Corp. Korea's top Internet portal provider, surging more than 3.5 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,069.35 won against the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., up 2.15 won from Monday's close. (Yonhap News)