Seoul shares open higher on oil refiners, autos
SEOUL, April 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks opened higher Thursday, buoyed by gains in oil refiners and automakers, analyst said.
The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) climbed 6.62 points, or 0.33 percent to 2,035.07 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
Leading oil refiner SK Innovation surged 4.6 percent, with its smaller rival S-Oil rising 2.5 percent, tracking overnight rebounds in global crude oil prices after the talks between Iran and major economies to deal with Tehran's nuclear program were stalled.
Top automaker Hyundai Motor hiked more than 2 percent.
In contrast, domestic-focused shares started off lower. Top Internet portal operator Naver slid 2.7 percent, with Cheil Industries, the apparel arm of Samsung Group, retreating 1.8 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,099.15 won against the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., up 3.25 won from Wednesday's close.
elly@yna.co.kr
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