South Korean stocks got off to a strong start on Tuesday fueled by gains in automakers, analysts said. 

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added

2.09 points, or 0.1 percent, to 2,005.44 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Hyundai Motor, the country's top automaker, gained 0.96 percent, and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors rose 1.15 percent.

In contrast, market bellwether Samsung Electronics slipped 0.27 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,095.7 won to the U.S.

dollar as of 9:15 a.m., down 0.9 won from Monday's close. (Yonhap News)