Seoul: South Korean stocks opened higher Wednesday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 24.83 points, or 0.73 percent, to 3,449.43 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

According to Yonhap News Agency, U.S. stocks closed higher overnight as investors see a looming shutdown of the Washington government would affect key economic data and the Federal Reserve's monetary policy. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.18 percent, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.31 percent.

In Seoul, major stocks led the early rise. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics added 1.07 percent, and chip giant SK hynix jumped 2.59 percent. Top carmaker Hyundai Motor increased 0.7 percent, and leading pharmaceutical firm Samsung Biologics rose 0.8 percent. Flag carrier Korean Air climbed 0.2 percent, and gamemaker Netmarble went up 2.27 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,404.2 won against the greenback, down 1.3 won from the previous session's close.