South Korean stocks got off to a strong start Monday as investors scooped up builder and transportation shares, analysts said.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 4.38 points, or 0.27 percent, to 1,650.07 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
Transportation shares gained ground on falling crude oil prices with top carrier Korean Air rising 1.03 percent.
No. 3 builder Hyundai Engineering & Construction added 1.84 percent on expectations that creditors of the builder will pick a lead manager soon for a sale of the company's stakes.
But tech giant Samsung Electronics and chip giant Hynix Semiconductor both lost ground.
The local currency was trading at 1,001.35 won to the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., up 1.75 won from Friday's close. After the market opened, the won rose above the 1,000-won-per-dollar mark at one point for the first time in five sessions. (Yonhap)