Nikkei 225 opens up 0.5%, KOSPI opens up 3.5%

The gap between a modest Nikkei open and a sharply stronger KOSPI points to a Korea-specific catalyst rather than a broad regional risk-on move, with the outsized gains concentrated in memory names SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics. That concentration suggests the driver is tied to the semiconductor/memory complex, not general macro sentiment, which matters for anyone tracking how narrowly based this strength is. Whether the rally broadens beyond these two chipmakers or fades as a single-sector pop is the open question worth watching through the session.