The KOSPI pared earlier gains, rising 0.64 percent to 5,485.43. Gains were supported by Samsung Electronics rising 1.81 percent to 196,600 won after posting record-breaking quarterly earnings. The electronic giant reported preliminary first-quarter revenue of 133 trillion won ($89 billion) and operating profit of 57.2 trillion won ($42.3 billion), both record highs that far exceeded market expectations.
Over 90 percent of operating profit is estimated to have come from the memory chip segment, supported by rising prices for high-bandwidth memory (HBM), DRAM, and NAND products. Its detailed earnings report will come out later this month.
Another major chipmaker, SK hynix rose 2.93 percent to 912,000 won. Among large-cap industrials, LG Energy Solution climbed 1.03 percent to 416,750 won, Hyundai Motor rose 0.53 percent to 471,500 won, and Hanwha Aerospace added 1.03 percent to 1,465,000 won. SK Square jumped 3.49 percent to 504,000 won, and Doosan Enerbility edged up 0.31 percent to 96,000 won.
Financial shares were also higher, with KB Financial Group gaining 1.76 percent to 150,500 won and Shinhan Financial Group rising 0.75 percent to 93,600 won. Samsung C&T advanced 2.04 percent to 275,000 won.
On the downside, Kia slipped 0.20 percent to 151,300 won, Celltrion edged down 0.05 percent to 195,700 won, Samsung Life Insurance fell 0.22 percent to 225,500 won, Mirae Asset Securities declined 0.16 percent to 63,100 won, and Hyundai Mobis dropped 0.64 percent to 386,000 won.
The junior KOSDAQ, meanwhile, reversed course to trade 0.07 percent lower at 1,046.60 shortly after the day's trading began. Shares of Samchundang Pharm plunged 9.71 percent in the morning. The pharmaceutical company failed to ease investor concerns despite holding a press briefing to address controversies surrounding whether its oral semaglutide is a generic drug and the substance of its underlying technology.
Elsewhere in Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 extended gains, rising 0.22 percent to 53,530.05 in the morning trade. According to Kazuaki Shimada, chief strategist at IwaiCosmo Securities, the index has remained relatively resilient to rising oil prices as market focus shifts toward growth in artificial intelligence-related stocks. Chip-related shares led gains, with Advantest rising 1.41 percent to 22,130 yen and Tokyo Electron adding 0.86 percent to 38,700 yen.
China's Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.10 percent to 3,884.15, while Hong Kong's stock market remained closed for the extended Easter holiday.
In the currency market, the won remained relatively stable, with the dollar trading at 1,509.70 won, compared with 1,506.3 won at the previous day's close.
Overnight on Wall Street, all three major indexes closed higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 165.21 points, or 0.36 percent, to 46,669.88, the S&P 500 gained 0.44 percent to 6,611.83, and the Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.54 percent to 21,996.34.
Trump has warned Iran that it must reopen the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday or face large‑scale strikes on its energy infrastructure and power plants, even as some diplomatic channels and cease‑fire proposals remain under discussion.
With the deadline set for 8 p.m. Eastern Time, investors are turning cautious, as a potential strike on Iran's energy infrastructure could trigger broader disruptions in global energy markets.
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