South Korean stocks got off to a good start Wednesday as investors wait for the release of US inflation data that will offer them more insights into the Federal Reserve's monetary tightening policy path.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 9.12 points, or 0.36 percent, to trade at 2,556.98 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

The main index closed 1.42 percent higher on Tuesday, after the Bank of Korea kept its policy rate unchanged at 3.5 percent on concerns over an economic recession.

Wall Street closed little changed overnight, with the S&P 500 ending about flat, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 0.29 percent and the Nasdaq Composite declining 0.43 percent.

Investors are awaiting the release of the March readings of the consumer price index, due Wednesday, which is a key gauge for the Fed's monetary policy.

In Seoul, No. 1 automaker Hyundai Motor rose 2.65 percent and its sister company Kia added 0.94 percent. Hyundai Mobis, a leading auto parts maker, climbed 2.71 percent.

Posco Holdings, the country's leading steelmaker, jumped 6.17 percent.

Among losers, leading chemicals producer LG Chem declined 0.99 percent, market behemoth Samsung Electronics lost 0.15 percent, and top battery maker LG Energy Solution shed 1.15 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,322.7 won against the US dollar at around 9:15 a.m., down 0.5 won from Monday's close. (Yonhap)