South Korea's KOSPI index opened 1.33% higher on Thursday, then pared gains to trade at 6600.4 points, up 0.57%, as of 9:15 AM. This followed a rally on Wall Street overnight, after US President Donald Trump downplayed the likelihood of a prolonged conflict with Iran, which led to a pullback in oil prices and boosted market sentiment. On the previous trading day, the KOSPI index had plunged 3.99% to 6562.72 points due to concerns over Middle East tensions.