Seoul shares open nearly 2 pct higher on Wall Street gains

SEOUL, Oct. 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks started stronger Tuesday as
investor sentiment was boosted by overnight gains in U.S. markets, analysts said.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) climbed 23.28 points, or
1.93 percent, to 1,230.91 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
U.S. stocks jumped Monday after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke backed the
government stimulus package. The Dow Jones industrial average soared 4.67 percent
and the tech-dominated Nasdaq composite index climbed 3.43 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,320.5 won to the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m.,
down 5.5 won from Monday's close.