South Korean stocks got off to a strong start Wednesday, as Chinese inflation data overshadowed escalating tensions caused by North Korea's torrent of threats, analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) gained 5.94 points, or 0.31 percent to 1,926.68 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Brokerage houses and steelmakers drove up the shares, with KDB Daewoo Securities Co. spiking more than 4 percent and POSCO shooting up 2.5 percent.
China's consumer prices rose 2.1 percent in March from a year earlier, sharply slowing down from a 3.2 percent on-year gain the previous month, raising the specter that Asia's No. 1 economy may unroll more easing measures.

The local currency was trading at 1,137.85 won against the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., up 1.45 won from Tuesday's close. (Yonhap News)