Seoul shares opened higher Tuesday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street, as investors await earnings results from AI chip leader Nvidia and other US tech firms.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 19.92 points, or 0.8 percent, to 2,511.12 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.6 percent to 35,151.04, and the tech-rich NASDAQ added 1.1 percent to 14,284.53.

Nvidia is set to release quarterly results on Tuesday on the back of strong demand for generative AI.

In Seoul, tech, auto and energy stocks led gains.

Market bellwether Samsung Electronics rose 0.6 percent, No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix climbed 1.3 percent, top carmaker Hyundai Motor gained 0.3 percent and leading car battery maker LG Energy Solution was up 0.6 percent.

Among decliners, the country's sole aircraft manufacturer Korea Aerospace Industries fell 0.3 percent and leading cosmetics firm Amorepacific shed 0.4 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,287.25 won against the US dollar, up 4.4 won from the previous session's close. (Yonhap)