South Korean stocks opened higher Thursday, led by tech and auto gains.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 14.92 points, or 0.59 percent, to 2,563.31 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
US shares ended mixed Wednesday, as strong inflation data led to speculation that the Federal Reserve would delay interest rate cuts.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.5 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite edged up 0.03 percent.
In Seoul, market bellwether Samsung Electronics rose 0.9 percent, and chip giant SK hynix advanced 1.31 percent.
Leading battery maker LG Energy Solution climbed 1.62 percent.
Top automaker Hyundai Motor surged 3.48 percent, and its sister affiliate Kia jumped 3.05 percent.
Bio shares opened mixed. Major bio firm Samsung Biologics increased 0.78 percent, while Celltrion inched down 0.06 percent.
Top portal operator Naver decreased 0.44 percent, but No. 1 steelmaker Posco Holdings went up 0.6 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,453.15 won against the greenback at 9:15 a.m., up 2.5 won from the previous session. (Yonhap)
