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Kospi opens higher on bargain hunting

Published: 02 Sep. 2025, 10:30

A screen in Hana Bank's trading room in central Seoul shows the Kospi opening on Sept. 2. [NEWS1]

Korean stocks opened higher Tuesday, as investors went bargain hunting for semiconductors and tech shares.

The Kospi rose 22.67 points, or 0.72 percent, to 3,165.6 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Overnight, Wall Street was closed due to the Labor Day holiday.

Seoul stocks had plunged more than 1 percent Monday, as investors off-loaded tech shares on reports that China's Alibaba has developed a new AI chip.

Washington's announcement that it would require Samsung and SK hynix to secure licenses for sending certain U.S. chipmaking equipment to their plants in China also led the decline.

Meanwhile, investors are keeping an eye on the United States' August employment tally set to be released Friday, which will provide hints to the Federal Reserve's next policy direction.

Semiconductor and tech shares led the gains.

Top-cap Samsung Electronics jumped 1.92 percent, rival SK hynix added 1.27 percent, and major portal operator Naver advanced 5.1 percent.

The local currency had been trading at 1,392.9 won against the dollar as of 9:15 a.m., down 0.06 percent from the previous session's 3:30 p.m. quote of 1,393.7 won.

Yonhap