A screen displays the Nikkei 225 Stock Average figure on the trading floor at the Nomura Securities Co. headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, on Jan. 11, 2024.  Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images South Korean stocks rose Monday to hit a fresh record, following their strongest monthly gain in April , as investors weighed tensions between Iran and the U.S. and a U.S. plan to reopen shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. would attempt to "free" stranded ships affected by the  Strait of Hormuz  closure since the start of the Iran war, U.S. President Trump said in his Truth Social post Sunday. Dubbed "Project Freedom," the effort is set to begin on Monday, Middle East time and will focus mainly on getting civilian ships flagged in countries not affiliated with the conflict out of the contested waterway so they can "freely and ably get on with their business." "U.S.…