South Korean shares opened higher Wednesday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 19.76 points, or 0.93 percent, to 2,151.00 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Major indexes in the United States closed higher Tuesday on recovery hopes, led by a jump in tech shares.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.58 percent to end at 26,156.1, while the tech-laden Nasdaq gained 0.74 percent to close at a fresh record high of 10,131.37, extending its winning streak to eight straight sessions.

In Seoul, most large caps got off to a strong start.

Market bellwether Samsung Electronics gained 1.95 percent, and No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix rose 0.71 percent.

Top pharmaceutical firm Samsung BioLogics surged 3.49 percent, while leading chemical maker LG Chem advanced 1.79 percent. South Korea's largest automaker Hyundai Motor jumped 1.32 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,204.90 won against the US dollar, up 3.9 won from the previous session's close. (Yonhap)