Seoul shares open higher on battery, auto gains

Seoul stocks opened higher Monday led by gains among battery and automotive shares. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 0.21 percent, or 5.33 points, to 2,575.04 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Battery manufacturers and automakers led the overall gains, with leading battery maker LG Energy Solution jumping 2.85 percent and top automaker Hyundai Motor adding 1.46 percent. Financial firms also gained traction, with KB Financial rising 1.57 percent and Shinhan Financial up 0.55 percent. In contrast, top cap Samsung Electronics dropped 0.83 percent but its chip rival SK hynix climbed 2.47 percent. The local currency was trading at 1,343.9 won against the U.S. dollar, down 10.2 won from the previous session. Source: Yonhap News Agency