# The Bigger Picture

By [DYLIT Chronicles](https://dylit.info/user/dylitmediabuzz)

[Global Finance](https://dylit.info/pr/global-finance/6a6849fd61bb0e07120aa486) > [The Bigger Picture](https://dylit.info/ch/the-bigger-picture/6a6849fe61bb0e07120aa4ba)

Korea Bets on Longer Trading Hours to Win Over Global Investors Longer Hours, Broader Access South Korea's main bourse, Korea Exchange (KRX), launched a real-time after-market session running from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on September 14, replacing a slower system that had only matched orders every ten minutes The Korea Exchange (KRX) will operate an after-market session from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. starting Monday, and the existing after-hours single-price trading session from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. will be abolished. The extended session covers about 2,400 stocks listed on the Kospi and Kosdaq, with short selling permitted, though exchange-traded funds are excluded for now. Pre-market trading is planned by the end of 2027 as part of a longer-term goal of round-the-clock trading. Why Seoul Is Making the Move The push follows a year in which the Kospi more than doubled at its peak amid an AI-driven frenzy, before falling 22% in a July selloff, though the index remains up 64% for 2026. Chairman Jeong Eun-bo has framed the move as a response to competition for liquidity among global exchanges and a bid to change the structure of Korea's stock market. The country's stock market has long traded at a discount to developed-market peers, and KRX has separately discussed faster settlement cycles as part of the same push to make Korean equities more attractive to global funds. What It Means for Global Investors Because the new session runs into the evening in Seoul, it overlaps with morning hours in Europe, giving international investors a wider window to react to news. Yet deeper participation isn't guaranteed. Foreign investors may stay cautious about placing large trades in names like Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix until evening sessions build up enough buyers and sellers, and thin liquidity could raise transaction costs and increase price swings. Currency hedging is a further complication: South Korea's FX market runs around the clock, but trading outside peak hours can be thin, potentially raising hedging costs for overseas funds. Benefits and Risks in Balance Supporters see fairness gains: one industry voice argued the session promotes market equality by letting a wider range of investors react to post-close news, reducing information asymmetry. Wider competition between KRX and the rival platform Nextrade could also push down trading fees over time. But skeptics are more measured — one asset-management executive noted that extending the hours does not create liquidity, it merely redistributes it, and expects initial interest to be modest. Early evidence from Nextrade's own evening sessions showed retail investors made up more than 80% of after-hours activity, with limited institutional participation — suggesting the real test of Seoul's ambitions will be whether global capital, not just local traders, actually shows up. Sources https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-09-13/korea-tests-global-investor-appetite-with-longer-trading-hours https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10871647 https://www.business-standard.com/world-news/south-korea-tests-global-investor-appetite-with-longer-trading-hours-126091300048_1.html   Related YouTube Videos "South Korea's stock market nearly doubled in 2026. Is this the AI success story or a bubble?" — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX0tKq3puF0 "Sidecar Day: KOSPI Jumps 6.24% as Foreign Money Floods Back | July 16 2026" — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9nUl5mlPvY