Seoul shares open 2.5 pct higher on U.S. gains

SEOUL, Nov. 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks started 2.52 percent higher Friday
as investors hailed overnight jumps in U.S. markets, analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) climbed 27.44 points to
1,115.88 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
As soon as the market opened, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, the
world's No. 3 shipbuilder, jumped by the daily limit of 15 percent on reports
that the state-run lender Korea Development Bank had reached a preliminary
agreement with Hanwha Group over the terms of the stake sale for the shipyard.
U.S. stocks gained ground Thursday after volatile trading on the back of bargain
hunting. The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 6.67 percent and the
tech-dominated Nasdaq composite index soared 6.5 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,383.5 won to the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m.,
up 8 won from Thursday's close.
sooyeon@yna.co.kr