The Polish world No. 2 needed 94 minutes to secure her sixth win in as many meetings with the 66th-ranked Romanian player.
Świątek, the top seed in the South Korean capital, had a first-round bye.
She will now face the Czech Republic's Barbora Krejčiková for a place in the last four.
Świątek, 24, is playing in Seoul for the first time, the city where her father, Tomasz Świątek, competed for Poland in rowing at the 1988 Olympic Games.
The victory also extended her record streak of winning opening matches at WTA events to 66, Polish state news agency PAP reported. She last lost an opening match in August 2021, when Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur beat her in the second round in Cincinnati, it said.
The points earned in Seoul will allow Świątek to close the gap slightly on top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, who is skipping the tournament.
The difference between them currently stands at 3,292 points. A title in Seoul would trim that margin by 500.
Bigger ranking gains lie ahead at tournaments in Beijing and Wuhan, where 1,000 points are on offer for the champion.
Świątek did not play either event last year, giving her a chance to gain ground, the PAP news agency reported.
(gs)
Source: IAR, PAP