Seoul shares open tad higher on U.S. gains

South Korean shares opened a tad higher Thursday tracking overnight gains on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 1.75 points, or 0.07 percent, to 2,612.11 in the first 15 minutes of trading. U.S. stocks rebounded on Wednesday (U.S. time), one day after posting sharp declines on concerns of a downturn in the artificial intelligence and semiconductor market. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.79 percent to close at 43,077.70, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq advancing 0.28 percent to 18,367.08. In Seoul, large caps traded mixed. Tech giant Samsung Electronics gained 0.17 percent, while the world's No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix advanced 1.22 percent. Battery makers were in positive terrain, with industry leader LG Energy Solution climbing 0.12 percent, while its local rival Samsung SDI added 0.29 percent. Top automaker Hyundai Motor plunged 3.44 percent, with its smaller affiliate Kia slipping 2.15 percent. The local currency was trading at 1,365.05 won against the U.S . dollar, down 2.45 won from the previous session. Source: Yonhap News Agency