The benchmark KOSPI is displayed at a dealing room in Hana Bank in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
Korean stocks opened higher Thursday, led by a sustained tech rally, as the latest earnings results from Alphabet reaffirmed demand for artificial intelligence (AI).
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) was up 173.92 points, or 2.56 percent, to 6,971.62, in the first 1 minutes of trading.
Overnight, U.S. stocks closed lower as investors remained cautious ahead of earnings releases from big tech companies and escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Google's parent Alphabet reported better-than-expected revenue for the second quarter Wednesday (U.S. time), driven by growth of 82 percent in its cloud business.
