Seoul: South Korean stocks continued to trade higher late Monday morning as investors anticipated a strong performance by Samsung Electronics in its first-quarter earnings guidance this week, boosting optimism in the artificial intelligence (AI) industry. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 116 points, or 2.16 percent, to 5,493.3 as of 11:20 a.m.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Samsung Electronics is set to release its preliminary first-quarter report on Tuesday, with some anticipating the operating profits to surpass the 40 trillion-won (US$26.4 billion) mark for the first time due to strong demand for premium memory chips. Investors, however, also remained cautious as U.S. President Donald Trump warned of striking Iran's infrastructure, setting a deadline for Tuesday evening (U.S. time).

Market bellwether Samsung Electronics surged 4.03 percent, and chip giant SK hynix soared 2.28 percent. Battery makers traded higher, with LG Energy Solution climbing 4.52 percent, and Samsung SDI increasing 5.36 percent. Oil refiners gained ground amid the global market volatility, with SK Innovation adding 3.13 percent, and S-Oil rising 6.64 percent.

Hyundai Motor moved up 0.42 percent, and its sister company Kia rose 1.73 percent. The local currency was trading at 1,505.1 won against the greenback at 11:20 a.m., up 0.1 won from the previous session.