South Korean stocks opened higher Wednesday, despite Wall Street losses, on gains of tech and pharmaceuticals.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 10.71 points, or 0.43 percent, to 2,502.81 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
Retailers were in a buying mode, while foreign and institutional investors offloaded local shares.
Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.4 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite sank 1.9 percent, as better-than-expected job market data raised questions about the Federal Reserve's monetary policy path.
In Seoul, market bellwether Samsung Electronics rose 1.26 percent, and chip giant SK hynix grew 0.77 percent.
Leading battery maker LG Energy Solution advanced 0.82 percent.
Samsung Biologics jumped 1.63 percent, and Celltrion increased 1.47 percent.
Top automaker Hyundai Motor climbed 0.24 percent, and its sister affiliate Kia went up 0.81 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,452.45 won against the greenback at 9:15 a.m., up 1.05 won from the previous session. (Yonhap)
