Seoul: South Korean stocks opened higher Thursday, helped by gains in techs and autos. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 30.11 points, or 0.96 percent, to 3,160.2 as of 9:15 a.m.
According to Yonhap News Agency, overnight, the U.S. stock indexes ended mixed after tech heavyweights pared most of their earlier steep losses. The S and P 500 dipped 0.2 percent, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.1 percent. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite fell 0.7 percent.
In Seoul, top-cap shares traded higher. Chip giant Samsung Electronics went up 1.84 percent, and leading battery maker LG Energy Solution inched up 0.26 percent. Top automaker Hyundai Motor added 1.25 percent, while its sister company Kia edged up 0.29 percent. Defense giant Hanwha Aerospace increased 2.88 percent, and leading financial firm KB Financial inched up 0.27 percent. Among heavyweights, only chipmaker SK hynix declined, dropping 2.35 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,397.15 won against the greenback at 9:15 a.m., up 1.25 won from the previous session.