South Korean stocks got off to a strong start Thursday, as a sharp fall of Greek bond yields lifted worries over the protracted slump in Europe, analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shot up 14.92 points, or 0.76 percent, to 1,986.18 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Top listed firms drove up shares, with tech heavyweight Samsung Electronics gaining 0.8 percent and chipmaker SK hynix rising 0.7 percent.

Greece's bond yields declined to a three-year low, spurring a rally in U.S. and European markets overnight as it signaled that the downturn in the debt-mired nation may have bottomed out.

The local currency was trading at 1,113.50 won against the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., up 1.0 won from Wednesday's close. (Yonhap News)