Seoul shares open higher on large cap gains

South Korean stocks opened higher Monday on large cap gains, tracking advances on Wall Street last week. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 13.6 points, or 0.51 percent, to 2,669.93 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The advance follows Wall Street gains last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 0.4 percent higher Friday, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq spiked 2.03 percent. In Seoul, most large caps were in positive terrain. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics went up 0.39 percent, while No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix rose 0.22 percent. Top chemicals producer LG Chem surged 4.55 percent, with leading pharmaceutical manufacturer Celltrion adding 1.87 percent. Leading automaker Hyundai Motor lost 1.4 percent, while its smaller affiliate Kia Motors gained 0.25 percent. The local currency was trading at 1,377.35 won against the U.S. dollar, down 2.05 won from the previous session's close. Source: Yonhap News Agency