Seoul: Seoul shares opened 3.3 percent higher Thursday as investors scooped up bargain-priced chip stocks following the previous session's steep sell-off. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 243.11 points, or 3.3 percent, to 7,489.90 at the opening bell.

According to Yonhap News Agency, overnight U.S. stocks ended mixed, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling 1.09 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 0.2 percent. Despite the overall uptick in Seoul shares, investors remain cautious due to renewed tensions between the United States and Iran, as well as uncertainty over the next phase of artificial intelligence (AI) trade.

Market bellwether Samsung Electronics saw a rise of 3.06 percent, while chip giant SK hynix climbed 6.79 percent, contributing significantly to the rebound in the local market.