KRX submits plan to extend trading hours to 12 starting in June: sources

▲ In this file photo taken Jan. 2, 2026, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) is displayed on a screen inside the lobby of the Korea Exchange. (Yonhap)

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KRX submits plan to extend trading hours to 12 starting in June: sources

SEOUL, Jan. 13 (Yonhap) -- The Korea Exchange (KRX) has submitted plans to extend stock trading hours to nearly 12 hours from as early as June and is preparing to gather opinions from its members, industry sources said Tuesday.

Under the plan submitted to the Financial Service Commission (FSC) on Monday, the KRX seeks to offer pre-market trading from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. and an after-hours market from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The bourse operator is set to gather opinions from member firms as early as this week to decide on the exact schedule, they added.

Currently, KRX's regular trading hours run from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

KRX Chairman Jeong Eun-bo has repeatedly pledged to extend stock trading hours, in line with global exchanges, such as Nasdaq, taking steps to introduce a 24-hour trading service.

It also comes amid the rise of Nextrade, the country's alternative trading platform launched in March, which runs from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Meanwhile, the bourse operator is also reportedly planning to extend trading hours for derivatives, from the current 19 hours to 24 hours by the end of next year.

The settlement cycle for stock trades will be shortened from the current T+2 system to T+1 system, though when the new system will be implemented is unknown, according to the sources.

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