SEOUL: South Korean stocks opened higher Friday, buoyed by gains in tech and construction firms, analysts said.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 17.63 points, or 0.86 percent, to 2,074.24 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
Tech firms started off strong, with handset maker Samsung Electronics climbing 1.75 percent and flat screen provider LG Display moving up 0.18 percent. Top chipmaker SK hynix also pushed up 1.06 percent.
Builders also opened higher, with Hyundai Engineering & Construction rising 1.55 percent and Daewoo Engineering & Construction increasing 0.72 percent. GS Engineering & Construction added 1.24 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,112.4 won against the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., down 3.6 won from Thursday’s close.
