The South Korean KOSPI index rose by 0.3%, with chip stocks leading the gains.

The South Korean benchmark KOSPI index rose by 0.3% in early trading to 2,581.18 points, driven by the rise in semiconductor stocks. The Trump administration's plan to adjust restrictions on the export of artificial intelligence chips to the United States helped boost local semiconductor stocks, with individual investors being net buyers. Storage chip manufacturer SK Hynix rose by 2.2%, as the company supplies high-bandwidth memory products to American artificial intelligence chip giant Nvidia. Chip manufacturing equipment supplier Hanmi Semiconductor rose by 3.0%. Weighted stock Samsung Electronics also rose by 1.1%.