South Korea's stock market will extend its regular trading hours into the evening from Monday, giving investors greater access during European business hours as the country seeks to attract more global participation.
The Korea Exchange will allow trading until 8 PM, compared with the current regular market close at 3:30 PM. The move comes amid a broader global trend towards longer and, eventually, around-the-clock trading.
The extended evening session will cover around 2,400 stocks listed on the Kospi and Kosdaq. Short-selling will also be permitted during the extended session, while exchange-traded funds will remain excluded for now.
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The Korea Exchange plans to introduce pre-market trading by the end of 2027, as it works towards its longer-term goal of enabling round-the-clock trading.
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South Korean market has staged a sharp rally this year, driven in part by strong investor enthusiasm around artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor-related companies. The Kospi has surged more than 55% so far in 2026.
After-hours trading is not entirely new in South Korea. Nextrade, the country's alternative trading system, introduced pre-market and evening trading sessions in March 2025. According to Bloomberg, the platform captured nearly a third of the country's trading activity within months of its launch.
The extension of trading hours by the Korea Exchange marks a significant step in South Korea's efforts to align its capital markets with global trading practices and improve accessibility for international investors.
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