Seoul: South Korean stocks experienced a significant surge late Tuesday morning due to bargain hunting, prompting the country's main bourse operator to temporarily halt trading. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) soared by 231.74 points, or 4.68 percent, reaching 5,181.41 by 11:20 a.m. This rebound followed a sharp decline in the previous session, as institutional and foreign investors began purchasing market heavyweights.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the Korea Exchange (KRX), South Korea's main bourse operator, implemented a buy-side circuit breaker for five minutes during early trading amid the sharp rise in equities. This move came just a day after the KRX had temporarily suspended the selling of stocks due to steep declines. The uptick in the KOSPI was mirrored by overnight gains on Wall Street, where stocks closed higher due to an optimistic manufacturing purchasing managers index for January, signaling growth in the U.S. manufacturing sector.

Investors remain vigilant about the potential effects of the recent nomination of the Federal Reserve chair and escalating trade tensions. In the South Korean market, most large-cap shares saw gains. Notably, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix experienced significant increases of 6.58 percent and 7.83 percent, respectively. Other major players also saw positive movement, with Hyundai Motor adding 1.57 percent, defense company Hanwha Aerospace rising by 3.95 percent, and financial group KB Financial edging up 2.92 percent. Meanwhile, the Korean won strengthened, trading at 1,448.8 won against the U.S. dollar, an increase of 15.5 won from the previous session.