South Korean stocks opened higher Wednesday following Wall Street's overnight rally caused by speculation that the U.S. Federal Reserve will announce new stimulus measures to bolster growth, analysts said.

The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 0.20 percent, or 3.63 points, to 1,858.37 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Market bellwether Samsung Electronics gained 0.16 percent, with top automaker Hyundai Motor also moving up 0.42 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,167.80 won to the greenback as of 9:15 a.m., up 2.8 won from Tuesday's close.

(Yonhap)