(LEAD) Seoul shares open sharply higher on tech gains despite heightened Middle East tensions

Seoul's stock market began the day sharply higher on Monday, bolstered by strong gains in technology shares. Despite rising military tensions in the Middle East, the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) climbed 222.40 points, a 3.33 percent increase, by 9:15 a.m. local time. Earlier in the day, there had been heightened hostilities between the United States and Iran, with Tehran launching attacks on three oil tankers and several U.S.-linked vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

In response, the U.S. had targeted Iranian tankers. Earlier in the week, U.S. stocks had fallen due to strong job data which suggested potential Federal Reserve interest rate hikes. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.51 percent and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.29 percent. However, the semiconductor market showed resilience, with the PHLX semiconductor index rising 3.38 percent following the launch of OpenAI's new GPT-6 Astra, anticipated to spur demand for memory chips.

Tech leaders powered the opening bell: Samsung Electronics soared 4.4 percent, SK hynix climbed 5.89 percent, Hanmi Semiconductor jumped 5.22 percent, and LG Electronics surged 8.44 percent. Major automaker Hyundai Motor and defense firm Hanwha Aerospace also rose, by 1.96 percent and 1.04 percent respectively. The Korean won ended the previous trading session at 1,344.8 won per U.S. dollar, up 5 won from the prior session.