South Korean stocks started higher Tuesday tracking overnight gains on Wall Street.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 7.25 points, or 0.38 percent, to 1,935.07 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 0.6 percent on Monday and the Nasdaq index picked up 0.4 percent on the back of the reverse in oil prices from last week's rout.
Tech firms and pharmaceuticals led the gains in the local market, with market bellwether Samsung Electronics surging 0.48 percent and Hanmi Science jumping 2.36 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,182.7 won against the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., up 2 won from Monday's close. (Yonhap)