South Korean stocks opened higher Friday, led by gains in major technology companies following overnight advances on Wall Street.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index opened 3.57 percent higher at 7,552.49. By 9:15 a.m. it had added 171.01 points, or 2.41 percent, to stand at 7,467.91.
Samsung Electronics rose 2.16 percent while affiliate Samsung Electro-Mechanics gained 3.95 percent. Chipmaker SK hynix edged down 0.23 percent after an initial rise.
Overnight in the United States the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.27 percent, the S&P 500 rose 0.81 percent and the Nasdaq Composite climbed 1.3 percent. The Korean won traded at 1,509 won against the dollar, up 0.5 won from the previous session.
