South Korean stocks opened higher Thursday after the US administration agreed to delay auto tariffs on Mexico and Canada.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index gained 19 points, or 0.74 percent, to 2,577.13 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
Overnight, major US shares rebounded as investor sentiment improved after the Trump administration suspended new auto duties on Mexico and Canada for a month and signaled it is open to more tariff negotiations.
The S&P 500 gained 1.12 percent, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 1.14 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq rose 1.46 percent.
In Seoul, tech behemoth Samsung Electronics added 0.37 percent, while its chipmaking rival SK hynix inched down 0.05 percent.
Leading battery maker LG Energy Solution jumped 2.25 percent, and steel giant POSCO Holdings soared 5.61 percent.
Automakers also kicked off strong, with Hyundai Motor up 2.26 percent and its sister Kia surging 2.92 percent.
Financial shares were also bullish, with KB Financial up 2.35 percent and Shinhan Financial up 3.47 percent.
But major defense firm Hanwha Aerospace shed 1.29 percent.
Major shipbuilders Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy also lost 0.75 percent and 0.79 percent, respectively.
The local currency was trading at 1,443.8 won against the dollar at 9:15 a.m., sharply up 10.7 won from the previous session. (Yonhap)
herald@heraldcorp.com
