Stock market in South Korea (Yonhap)
South Korean stocks opened higher Thursday on overnight Wall Street gains, backed by the US Federal Reserve's economic diagnosis that partially eased market jitters over early post-pandemic inflation.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 16.09 points, or 0.5 percent, to reach 3,240.32 points in the first 15 minutes of trading.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite gained 0.14 percent, following the Fed's reiteration of its stance that the ongoing price hike is likely transient.
The Dow Industrial Average and the S&P 500 edged up 0.07 percent and 0.14 percent, respectively.
In Seoul, market bellwether Samsung Electronics added 1.24 percent, and No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix advanced 0.4 percent.
Internet portal operator Naver moved up 0.14 percent, and giant pharmaceutical firm Samsung Biologics traded flat.
Top automaker Hyundai Motor climbed 0.42 percent, and leading chemical firm LG Chem gained 0.25 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,111.4 won against the US dollar, up 1.9 won from the previous session's close.