diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index 9868bedc7..77f69e4ce 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -3,6 +3,11 @@ For full details, see the git log at: https://github.com/ksh93/ksh
 
 Any uppercase BUG_* names are modernish shell bug IDs.
 
+2021-04-21:
+
+- Fixed a bug introduced on 2020-09-28 that caused an interactive ksh to exit
+  if a profile script (such as ~/.kshrc) contains a syntax error.
+
 2021-04-20:
 
 - Fixed three problems with the /opt/ast/bin/getconf built-in command:
diff --git a/src/cmd/ksh93/README b/src/cmd/ksh93/README
index eb4eaddaf..051c5d3da 100644
--- a/src/cmd/ksh93/README
+++ b/src/cmd/ksh93/README
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ The options have the following defaults and meanings:
                      built-ins. The value must include double quotes.
     CRNL         off <cr><nl> treated as <nl> in shell grammar.
     DEVFD            Use the more secure /dev/fd mechanism instead of FIFOs for
-                     proces substitutions. On by default on OSs with /dev/fd.
+                     process substitutions. On by default on OSs with /dev/fd.
     DYNAMIC      on  Dynamic loading of builtins. (Requires dlopen() interface.)
     ECHOPRINT    off Make echo equivalent to print.
     EDPREDICT    on  Enables predictive editing. As you type a line beginning
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ The options have the following defaults and meanings:
                      value will require the -p flag to run suid/sgid scripts.
     RAWONLY      on  Turn on if the vi line mode doesn't work right unless
                      you do a set -o viraw.
-    REGRESS      off Enable the __regress__ built-in command  and instrumented
+    REGRESS      off Enable the __regress__ built-in command and instrumented
                      intercepts for testing.
     REMOTE       off Set --rc (read profile scripts) even if ksh was invoked
                      with standard input on a socket, i.e. as a remote shell.
diff --git a/src/cmd/ksh93/include/version.h b/src/cmd/ksh93/include/version.h
index f7ff7143e..b9725ca5c 100644
--- a/src/cmd/ksh93/include/version.h
+++ b/src/cmd/ksh93/include/version.h
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 
 #define SH_RELEASE_FORK	"93u+m"		/* only change if you develop a new ksh93 fork */
 #define SH_RELEASE_SVER	"1.0.0-alpha"	/* semantic version number: https://semver.org */
-#define SH_RELEASE_DATE	"2021-04-20"	/* must be in this format for $((.sh.version)) */
+#define SH_RELEASE_DATE	"2021-04-21"	/* must be in this format for $((.sh.version)) */
 #define SH_RELEASE_CPYR	"(c) 2020-2021 Contributors to ksh " SH_RELEASE_FORK
 
 /* Scripts sometimes field-split ${.sh.version}, so don't change amount of whitespace. */
diff --git a/src/cmd/ksh93/sh/lex.c b/src/cmd/ksh93/sh/lex.c
index d6f6a4b2a..bdb575818 100644
--- a/src/cmd/ksh93/sh/lex.c
+++ b/src/cmd/ksh93/sh/lex.c
@@ -2060,6 +2060,7 @@ static char	*fmttoken(Lex_t *lp, register int sym)
 		return((char*)sh_translate(e_endoffile));
 	if(sym==NL)
 		return((char*)sh_translate(e_newline));
+	stakfreeze(0);
 	stakputc(sym);
 	if(sym&SYMREP)
 		stakputc(sym);
diff --git a/src/cmd/ksh93/sh/main.c b/src/cmd/ksh93/sh/main.c
index 86ca971f3..0ff17205a 100644
--- a/src/cmd/ksh93/sh/main.c
+++ b/src/cmd/ksh93/sh/main.c
@@ -424,7 +424,7 @@ static void	exfile(register Shell_t *shp, register Sfio_t *iop,register int fno)
 		sfsync(shp->outpool);
 		shp->st.execbrk = shp->st.breakcnt = 0;
 		/* check for return from profile or env file */
-		if(sh_isstate(SH_PROFILE) && (jmpval==SH_JMPFUN || jmpval==SH_JMPEXIT || jmpval==SH_JMPERREXIT))
+		if(sh_isstate(SH_PROFILE) && (jmpval==SH_JMPFUN || jmpval==SH_JMPEXIT))
 		{
 			sh_setstate(states);
 			goto done;
@@ -603,7 +603,7 @@ done:
 	}
 	if(jmpval == SH_JMPSCRIPT)
 		siglongjmp(*shp->jmplist,jmpval);
-	else if(jmpval == SH_JMPEXIT || jmpval == SH_JMPERREXIT)
+	else if(jmpval == SH_JMPEXIT)
 		sh_done(shp,0);
 	if(fno>0)
 		sh_close(fno);
diff --git a/src/cmd/ksh93/tests/pty.sh b/src/cmd/ksh93/tests/pty.sh
index 042630086..6ee7cfaa3 100755
--- a/src/cmd/ksh93/tests/pty.sh
+++ b/src/cmd/ksh93/tests/pty.sh
@@ -797,5 +797,19 @@ w cd emacste\t123abc
 r ^:test-1: cd emacstest/123abc\r\n$
 !
 
+# err_exit #
+echo '((' >$tmp/synerror
+ENV=$tmp/synerror tst $LINENO <<"!"
+L syntax error in profile causes exit on startup
+# https://github.com/ksh93/ksh/issues/281
+
+d 15
+r /synerror: syntax error: `\(' unmatched\r\n$
+p :test-1:
+w echo ok
+r ^:test-1: echo ok\r\n$
+r ^ok\r\n$
+!
+
 # ======
 exit $((Errors<125?Errors:125))