South Korean stocks opened higher Wednesday as the US administration hinted that it may compromise on its tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index gained 26.37 points, or 1.04 percent, to 2,555.29 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
Overnight, major US shares sank after the country's 25 percent tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada took effect as planned, sparking fears of a global trade war.
The S&P 500 dropped 1.22 percent, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 1.55 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.35 percent.
But after Wall Street closed, investor sentiment improved as US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick told the media President Donald Trump is still open to negotiations on tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods.
In Seoul, tech behemoth Samsung Electronics added 0.73 percent, and its chipmaking rival SK hynix, a key supplier to Nvidia, increased 1.93 percent.
Bio giant Samsung Biologics rose 1.52 percent, and top automaker Hyundai Motor jumped 3 percent.
Internet portal operator Naver climbed 2.19 percent, and Kakao, the operator of the country's dominant mobile messenger, soared 3.34 percent.
But major shipbuilders HD Hyundai Heavy and Hanwha Ocean dropped 1.91 percent and 2.47 percent, respectively, following a rally the previous day.
The local currency was trading at 1,454.6 won against the dollar at 9:15 a.m., up 7.2 won from the previous session. (Yonhap)
