Seoul shares rise after weak start

SEOUL, Sept. 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks opened lower on Thursday but soon shifted to positive territory on strong foreign buying, analysts said.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 0.66 points, or 0.04 percent, to 1,723.75 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
The world's second-largest handset maker Samsung Electronics lost 0.25 percent, despite its partnership agreement with Microsoft, while its smaller rival LG Electronics jumped 2.42 percent.
Hana Financial Group soared 6.12 percent on news reports that Hana Bank will surely win approval to buy Foreign Exchange Bank.
U.S. stocks closed lower on Wednesday on fears about a possible global economic recession. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 1.16 percent and the tech-focused NASDAQ composite fell 2.17 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,181.15 won to the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., down 9.95 won from Wednesday's close.
brk@yna.co.kr
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