South Korean stocks opened higher Wednesday, as investors shored up semiconductor and battery shares despite overnight losses on Wall Street.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index gained 16.22 points, or 0.64 percent, to 2,553.82 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
Overnight, US stock markets fell for the second straight session amid lingering uncertainties over tariff policies of US President Donald Trump.
The S&P 500 dipped 0.76 percent, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 1.14 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq fell 0.18 percent.
In Seoul, market heavyweight Samsung Electronics gained 0.93 percent, and chip rival SK hynix climbed 2.13 percent.
Battery manufacturers also reversed losses from the previous session. Industry leader LG Energy Solution added 1.03 percent, and Samsung SDI rose 1.67 percent.
Top automaker Hyundai Motor inched up 0.1 percent, while leading defense equipment maker Hanwha Aerospace rose 1.92 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,454.55 won against the US dollar at 9:15 a.m., up 3.65 won from the previous session. (Yonhap)
