Seoul shares open higher on US gains

South Korean stocks got off to a strong start Tuesday tracking overnight gains on Wall Street.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 19.23 points, or 0.79 percent, to 2,455.47 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

U.S. stocks closed higher as investors bet on big tech, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average advancing 0.93 percent and the Nasdaq Composite rising 1.2 percent.

In Seoul, tech and battery shares led the bullish opening.

Top-cap Samsung Electronics added 0.74 percent and its local rival LG Electronics rose 1.9 percent.

Leading battery maker LG Energy Solution climbed 1.05 percent and Posco Future M jumped 3.43 percent.

Leading pharmaceutical firm Samsung Biologics and SK bioscience rose 0.98 percent and 1.06 percent, respectively.

The local currency was trading at 1,349.75 won against the US dollar at 9:15 a.m., up 3.95 won from the previous session's close. (Yonhap)