Seoul: South Korea's main bourse operator, the Korea Exchange (KRX), announced plans to initiate pre-market and after-hours trading starting June 29. This development, disclosed on Monday, includes an information session scheduled for later the same day to brief member firms on the upcoming changes.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the KRX's initiative is part of a broader strategy to establish 24-hour trading by December 2027. This move aims to enhance competitiveness with global exchanges like Nasdaq, which are also working to extend their trading hours to around-the-clock operations.
The KRX plans to introduce a pre-market trading session from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. and an after-hours session from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Currently, the KRX operates from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., totaling 6 1/2 hours of trading. The proposed changes will extend the total trading hours to 11 1/2 hours.
The information session will take place at the KRX's headquarters in Seoul at 4 p.m., with approximately 250 officials from member companies expected to attend, as indicated by the bourse operator.