Asian equity markets opened higher on June 19, with the Nikkei 225 gaining 372.55 points, or 0.52%, to 71,426.04, while South Korea's KOSPI advanced 231.44 points, or 2.55%, to 9,295.28. Samsung Electronics shares also rose 3%. The moves, cited by BlockBeats from Bitget data, point to a firmer start for regional risk assets at the open.