Seoul shares open higher on U.S. tech gains driven by Microsoft's strong earnings

South Korean stocks surged 1.15 percent Friday as semiconductor shares climbed following an overnight rally in U.S. technology stocks, led by Microsoft's 15 percent jump after the company beat earnings expectations and reported strong cloud growth. The KOSPI added 64.23 points to 5,657.79, while Wall Street's S&P 500 and Nasdaq gained 1.66 percent and 2.78 percent respectively. The rally eased investor concerns about artificial intelligence infrastructure spending costs.