Trading halted in South Korea after KOSPI fell more than 8% — The Rio Times

In South Korea, trading in the KOSPI and KOSDAQ segments was suspended for 20 minutes on October 15, 2026, after the indices of the same names lost more than 8% compared with the previous close. As The Rio Times reports, the halt occurred shortly after noon, and a 10-minute auction was held before continuous trading resumed.

By the end of the session, the KOSPI index closed at 5,554.22 points, losing 454.59 points, or 7.57%. KOSDAQ ended trading at 760.82 points, down 7.65%.

Rules for KOSPI

According to the publication's description, the first level of the circuit breaker for the KOSPI market is triggered if the index falls by at least 8% from the previous close and remains at that level for one minute. The subsequent thresholds are 15% and 20%.

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During a first- or second-level halt, continuous trading is suspended, new orders are not accepted, but cancellation of previously submitted orders is allowed. The third level means trading is halted until the end of the session. The publication notes that it did not find an official text of similar rules for KOSDAQ, and therefore describes the halt in that market as a reported event.

Sidecar and U.S. ETFs

KRX also has a sidecar mechanism that temporarily suspends program trading linked to index futures but does not halt regular stock transactions. A circuit breaker, by contrast, suspends securities trading in the relevant market segment.

U.S. ETFs with Korean assets may continue trading during a pause in the Seoul market. Under such conditions, their quotes may temporarily deviate from the value of the underlying assets, while bid-ask spreads may widen. This may apply to products with a large share of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, whose shares carry significant weight in Korean indices.