KOSPI opens higher amid oil price hike

▲ A dealing room at Hana Bank in central Seoul on March 13, 2026 (Yonhap)

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KOSPI opens higher amid oil price hike

SEOUL, March 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks started higher Monday despite a jump in global crude prices sparked by U.S. air strikes on Iran's main export hub.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 23.58 points, or 0.43 percent, to 5,510.82 at the opening bell.

On Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.26 percent, while tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite dipped 0.98 percent, and the S&P 500 lost 0.61 percent.

Brent crude oil prices, the international oil benchmark, surpassed $103 per barrel last week, while the U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) reached $98.71 after the United States bombed military targets on Kharg Island, a key terminal that handles almost all of Iran's oil exports.

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