The KOSPI index is displayed at a dealing room of Hana Bank in central Seoul, Friday. Yonhap
Seoul stocks traded sharply higher late Friday morning, buoyed by chips and other tech heavyweights, after topping the historic 9,000 landmark the previous session.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 200.67 points, or 2.21 percent, to 9,264.51, as of 11:20 a.m., after peaking above 9,300 at one point.
The index followed gains on Wall Street overnight, lead by major chipmakers, including Intel. The U.S. semiconductor company jumped after President Donald Trump said the firm had agreed to a deal with Apple to design and manufacture chips in the United States.
In Seoul, market top-cap Samsung Electronics rose 1.38 percent, while its industry rival SK hynix jumped 5.92 percent.
