Seoul shares opened higher Wednesday as gains in major chipmakers outweighed concerns about escalating tensions in the Middle East and rising oil prices. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index, or KOSPI, opened 0.26% higher and was up 65.98 points, or 0.93%, at 7,019.5 as of 9:15 a.m. U.S. stocks closed lower overnight amid the geopolitical concerns and oil-price increases, while the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index advanced 1.3%.