# Seoul shares open 3.3% higher on tech gains > Source: > Published: 2026-07-09 00:42:03+00:00 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. Overnight, U.S. stocks ended mixed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.09 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 0.2 percent. Investors, overall, remain concerned about 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 rose 3.06 percent, while chip giant SK hynix climbed 6.79 percent.