Seoul shares opened higher Monday, led by technology stocks, as investors went bargain hunting after Wall Street's record-setting advance.
After opening 0.76 percent higher, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index further gained 101.15 points, or 1.62 percent, at 6,359.92 as of 9:15 a.m.
The Kospi ended lower for a second straight session Friday, weighed down by foreign selling.
On Friday, Wall Street advanced, following US job reports. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.28 percent, while the S&P 500 added 0.62 percent to a fresh record. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index increased 1.3 percent.
In Seoul, technology stocks led the gains, with individual and institutional investors snapping up shares on bargain hunting.
Market bellwether Samsung Electronics rose 2.49 percent, and its chipmaking rival SK hynix climbed 3.94 percent.
The Korean won was trading at 1,412.1 won against the US dollar as of 9:15 a.m., down 2.6 won from the previous session's close. (Yonhap)