Seoul: South Korean stocks opened higher Friday as investors hunted bargains following overnight gains on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 27.5 points, or 0.69 percent, to 4,022.01 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

According to Yonhap News Agency, investor sentiment on Wall Street was buoyed by gains in technology shares. The U.S. consumer price index for November rose at a slower-than-expected pace of 2.7 percent on-year, despite the data lacking full coverage due to the federal government shutdown.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average saw an increase of 0.14 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 1.38 percent. The S and P 500 closed 0.79 percent higher.

In Seoul, top tech giant Samsung Electronics rose 0.37 percent, and its local chipmaking rival SK hynix surged 2.36 percent. Leading carmaker Hyundai Motor added 0.35 percent, and Hanwha Aerospace increased 2.7 percent.

The Korean won was trading at 1,477 won against the U.S. dollar, up 1.3 won from the previous session's close.