Kospi opens higher on U.S. gains

Shares started higher Thursday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street.

The Kospi earned 7.2 points, or 0.23 percent, to 3,140.94 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Overnight, U.S. stocks rallied even after President Donald Trump announced that he has sent tariff letters to seven additional countries and warned of a 50 percent duty on Brazil.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.49 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq advanced 0.95 percent as Nvidia became the world's first company to hit $4 trillion in market value.

In Seoul, chip and auto shares led the upbeat start.

Samsung Electronics rose 0.33 percent, and SK hynix, a key supplier to Nvidia, advanced 1.42 percent.

Top carmaker Hyundai Motor climbed 0.48 percent, and its sister Kia increased 0.70 percent.

Battery makers were also strong as industry leader LG Energy Solution gained 2.21 percent, and Posco Future M rose 0.65 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,373.05 won against the U.S. dollar at 9:15 a.m., down by 0.14 percent from the previous session.

Yonhap