Kospi opens higher on large cap gains

A screen in Hana Bank's trading room in central Seoul shows the stock market prices as it opens on Monday. [YONHAP]

Stocks opened higher Monday on large cap gains, tracking advances on Wall Street last week.

The Kospi added 13.6 points, or 0.51 percent, to 2,669.93 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

The advance follows Wall Street gains last week.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 0.4 percent higher Friday, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq spiked 2.03 percent.

In Seoul, most large caps were in positive terrain.

Samsung Electronics went up 0.39 percent, while SK hynix rose 0.22 percent.

LG Chem surged 4.55 percent, with pharmaceutical manufacturer Celltrion adding 1.87 percent.

Hyundai Motor lost 1.4 percent, while Kia Motors gained 0.25 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,377.35 won against the U.S. dollar, up 2.05 won from the previous session's close.

BY CHOI HAE-JIN, YONHAP [choi.haejin@joongang.co.kr]