South Korean exchange KRX to extend trading until 20:00
The Korea Exchange (KRX), South Korea’s main stock market operator, will launch a real-time trading market after the close of the main session starting Monday. Investors will be able to execute trades until 20:00, while the regular session runs from 09:00 to 15:30, Korea Herald reports.
Trading in most stocks
Evening trading will cover most shares listed on the Kospi and Kosdaq markets, with the exception of certain securities. As of September 11, 831 shares were listed on Kospi and 1,811 on Kosdaq. By comparison, the alternative trading platform Nextrade (NXT) currently allows trading in around 610 stocks.
Taking into account NXT’s pre-market session, which begins at 08:00, the available trading time on the Korean market will total 12 hours a day. Investors will be able to compare prices, trading costs and order execution conditions across the two platforms. Under best execution rules, brokers must route orders to the market offering the best conditions for the investor.
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Competition with Nextrade
Demand for trading after the main session increased following the launch of NXT. Its market share averaged 10% this year and reached 15.91% in June, when the Kospi index exceeded 9,000 points. At the same time, a legislative limit of 15% of trading volume for an alternative trading system restrains NXT’s further growth.
The extended trading hours are expected to reduce time barriers for foreign investors. The share of foreign investors in NXT’s trading value rose from 0.4% at launch to about 14% in July. The number of firms participating in the platform increased from 28 when it launched in 2025 to 38 after the addition of, among others, Macquarie, Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs and CLSA.
The platforms will also compete on fees: KRX charges about 0.23 basis points, while NXT charges 0.15. Korea Exchange Chairman Jeong Eun-bo previously said that the exchange would respond to the shift toward a multiple-trading-venue system and competition for liquidity with global exchanges. KRX said it would further consider a phased extension of trading hours.
