Seoul shares open higher on U.S. gains

SEOUL, Aug. 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks got off to a strong start on Tuesday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) climbed 13.06 points, or 0.76 percent, to 1,723.76 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Institutions and foreigners snapped up shares of key exporters. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics gained around 2 percent and top automaker Hyundai Motor jumped more than 3 percent. U.S. stocks closed higher on Monday, with the Dow Jones industrial average gaining 0.34 percent and the tech-focused Nasdaq gaining 0.15 percent. The local currency was changing hands at 1,082.25 won to the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., up 1.55 won from Monday's close