(LEAD) Seoul shares open sharply higher on U.S. tech rally, falling oil prices

What happened: South Korean shares opened sharply higher, tracking overnight Wall Street gains tied to hopes for diplomatic talks to end the U.S.-Iran war and falling oil prices. Key numbers: KOSPI rose 275.50 points, or 5.49 percent, to 5,294.35 as of 9:15 a.m. A buy-side sidecar halted KOSPI program trading for five minutes at 9:06 a.m. Why it matters: The gains followed eased Middle East uncertainty after Trump said he is not prepared to resume the bombardment, and lower oil prices calmed inflation fears. The sidecar suspended program trading for KOSPI-listed shares.

South Korean shares opened sharply higher, tracking overnight Wall Street gains tied to hopes for diplomatic talks to end the U.S.-Iran war and falling oil prices.

The gains followed eased Middle East uncertainty after Trump said he is not prepared to resume the bombardment, and lower oil prices calmed inflation fears. The sidecar suspended program trading for KOSPI-listed shares.