▲ This photo taken Jan. 12, 2026, shows the dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul. (Yonhap)

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Seoul shares open higher on auto, shipbuilding gains

SEOUL, Jan. 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks opened higher Tuesday on gains from auto and shipbuilding shares.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 26.75 points, or 0.58 percent, to 4,651.54 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Overnight, the U.S. stock market finished higher as investors digested the U.S. Justice Department's criminal investigation of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.17 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite gained 0.26 percent.

In Seoul, auto and shipbuilding shares started in positive territory.

Top carmaker Hyundai Motor soared 6.95 percent, and its auto parts affiliate Hyundai Mobis surged 8.25 percent.

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, a major shipbuilder, jumped 3.64 percent, and Hanwha Ocean added 1.1 percent.

Bio shares were also strong, as Samsung Biologics climbed 3.07 percent and Celltrion increased 2.1 percent.

However, chip giant Samsung Electronics stayed flat, and SK hynix fell 0.53 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,470.25 won against the greenback at 9:15 a.m., down 1.85 won from the previous session.

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