South Korean stocks opened markedly higher Friday, tracking Wall Street gains, after South Korea and the United States agreed to craft a package of deals on the US' new tariff scheme by July.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 19.53 points, or 0.77 percent, to 2,541.86 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
Investors closely watched the first round of trade talks between South Korea and the US held in Washington on Thursday, where the two sides agreed to pursue a tariff deal before the pause on the implementation of reciprocal tariffs is lifted in early July.
Overnight, US shares surged as investors reacted to earnings reports from major companies and awaited developments on tariffs.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 1.23 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite jumped 2.74 percent.
In Seoul, big-cap tech shares opened higher to lead the upturn of the index.
Market bellwether Samsung Electronics rose 0.45 percent, and chip giant SK hynix surged 2.3 percent.
Leading battery maker LG Energy Solution advanced 0.73 percent, and No. 1 steelmaker POSCO Holdings increased 1.07 percent.
Leading shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy spiked 7.45 percent, and its rival Hanwha Ocean soared 5.93 percent.
Carmakers opened mixed. Top automaker Hyundai Motor edged up 0.11 percent, while its sister affiliate Kia lost 0.56 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,432.1 won against the US dollar at 9:15 a.m., up 2.9 won from the previous session. (Yonhap)
