Seoul: Seoul shares opened higher Monday, tracking gains on Wall Street, with the local stock market also getting a boost from advances in auto and energy shares. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 23.63 points, or 0.96 percent, to 2,479.54 in the first 15 minutes of trading. According to Yonhap News Agency, on Friday (U.S. time), the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.42 percent to 44,910.65 points, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.83 percent to 19,218.17. In Seoul, top carmaker Hyundai Motor rose 0.23 percent, while leading battery maker LG Energy Solution climbed 2.88 percent. Leading refiner SK Innovation gained 1.13 percent, and steelmaker POSCO Holdings was up 0.53 percent. Technology stocks were mixed, with Samsung Electronics slipping 0.9 percent and No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix advancing 0.94 percent. Among decliners, top wireless service provider SK Telecom fell 0.65 percent, while leading discount store chain E-Mart shed 1.24 percent and Lotte Shopping was dow n 0.7 percent. The local currency was trading at 1,398.9 won against the greenback at 9:15 a.m., down 4.2 won from the previous session.