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Seoul shares open higher on tech gains
SEOUL, Sept. 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks opened higher Monday, bucking losses on Wall Street, as technology shares advanced.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 8.06 points, or 0.25 percent, to 3,213.18 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
On Friday (U.S. time), U.S. stocks closed lower after the August jobs report came in weaker than expected.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.48 percent to 45,400.86, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite edged down 0.03 percent to 21,700.39.
In Seoul, technology shares led the gains.
Market bellwether Samsung Electronics rose 1.01 percent, and No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix climbed 1.28 percent.
Home appliance maker LG Electronics gained 0.13 percent, and Samsung SDS, the IT services unit of Samsung Group, jumped 1.78 percent.
Among decliners, top carmaker Hyundai Motor lost 1.59 percent, while its smaller affiliate Kia Corp. slipped 1.97 percent.
The two automakers extended their losses following a raid last week at a Hyundai Motor plant in the U.S. state of Georgia. About 475 workers, including 300 South Koreans, were arrested over alleged unlawful employment practices.
Leading shipbuilder HD Hyundai shed 1.66 percent, and shipping giant HMM fell 0.87 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,389.45 won against the greenback as of 9:15 a.m., up 1.55 won from the previous session.
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