SEOUL: South Korean stocks opened higher Wednesday on the back of gains in mobile carriers and chemical shares, analysts said.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 5.50 points, or 0.26 percent, to 2,086.70 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
Mobile carriers gained ground, with industry leader SK Telecom adding 1.17 percent and No. 2 KT advancing 0.87 percent. LG Uplus climbed 2.47 percent.
Chemical shares also gained ground, with LG Chemical increasing 0.36 percent. Oil refiner S-Oil added 2.71 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,105.15 won against the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., down 0.55 won from Tuesday’s close.
