South Korean stocks began higher Friday as blue-chip exporters gained on the back of record-high exports for October, analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 8.93 points, or 0.44 percent, to 2,039.02 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Samsung Electronics soared 1.7 percent, with Hyundai Motors rising 0.4 percent. Chip giant SK hynix hiked more than 2 percent.

The trade ministry said South Korea's trade surplus reached an all-time monthly high of $50.5 billion last month, up 7.3 percent from a year earlier.

The local currency was trading at 1,063.85 won against the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., down 3.15 won from Thursday's close. (Yonhap News)