Seoul shares open higher on tech gains

The benchmark KOSPI is displayed at a dealing room in Hana Bank, in Seoul, Friday. Yonhap

Korean stocks opened higher Friday, led by gains in major technology heavyweights, following overnight advances on Wall Street.

After opening 3.57 percent higher, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 171.01 points, or 2.41 percent, to 7,467.91 as of 9:15 a.m.

Overnight, U.S. stocks closed higher, buoyed by a strong rebound in semiconductor shares and easing oil prices.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.27 percent, while the S&P 500 rose 0.81 percent. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite climbed 1.3 percent.

In Seoul, major market heavyweights generally moved upward.

Market bellwether Samsung Electronics advanced 2.16 percent, while its chipmaking rival SK hynix edged down 0.23 percent after opening higher.

Samsung Electro-Mechanics, an electronic components manufacturing affiliate of Samsung Electronics, added 3.95 percent.

The Korean won was trading at 1,509 won against the U.S. dollar, up 0.5 won from the previous session, as of 9:15 a.m.