South Korea’s main exchange is set to extend trading in nearly all local stocks to 8 p.m. starting Monday, moving beyond the market’s usual 3:30 p.m. close. The change is described as one step toward the Korea Exchange’s goal of launching 24-hour trading from December 2027. It also breaks with standard trading-hour conventions across Asia, where major exchanges have not typically moved this far into the evening.
The longer session will serve as a live test of whether the market can sustain enough liquidity over an extended trading day and whether investors, especially those outside Korea, actually want more time to trade. That question comes as interest in Korean equities has been cooling. Market participants cited in the report said the extra window could improve flexibility and efficiency for more active investors, including high-turnover traders and hedge-fund-style participants, while also marking another step in the ongoing opening of Korea’s capital markets to global investors.
South Korea’s main stock exchange will extend trading in nearly all domestic shares to 8 p.m. from next Monday, replacing the market’s regular 3:30 p.m. close.
The move is part of the Korea Exchange’s stated plan to reach 24-hour trading from December 2027. It also breaks with long-standing trading-hour norms in Asia. According to the report, this will be the first arrangement of its kind among the region’s major exchanges, even as global markets move toward round-the-clock access.
Longer hours will test liquidity and investor demand
The new schedule will test whether the market can keep sufficient liquidity through a longer trading day and whether investors truly want additional trading time. The report said this comes at a point when interest in Korean stocks is cooling.
Lee Young-jae, a senior investment manager at Pictet Asset Management in London, said: 「Longer trading windows usually mean more flexibility for investors, which makes markets more efficient. More trading-oriented, higher-turnover investors, or hedge-fund-type investors, may use it more often.」
Edward Kim, Bank of America’s head of Korea equity sales, called it 「another step in the continued evolution of Korea’s capital markets and their accessibility to global investors.」
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