Korea Stock Market Hours and Trading Rules (2026)
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The Korea Exchange (KRX) regular session runs from 09:00 to 15:30 Korea Standard Time (KST), Monday to Friday, with no lunch break. In New York that is 20:00 to 02:30 while US daylight saving time is in force and 19:00 to 01:30 in winter, starting the previous evening. Since September 14, 2026 KRX has also run a real-time after-market from 16:00 to 20:00 KST, and the alternative venue Nextrade trades selected stocks from 08:00 to 20:00.
Is the Korean stock market open now?
Status is calculated in your browser from Korea Standard Time (UTC+9, no daylight saving) and the KRX holiday calendar; dates from 2027 are expected until KRX confirms them. Every session: Korea stock market hours · all closures: KRX holidays.
In short
- KRX regular trading is 09:00 to 15:30 KST, with call auctions at the open (orders from 08:30) and the close (15:20 to 15:30).
- The KRX after-market (16:00 to 20:00) replaced the old 16:00 to 18:00 single-price session. ETFs and ETNs are excluded, and KRX’s planned 07:00 pre-market has been postponed to late 2027.
- Nextrade runs 08:00 to 08:50, 09:00:30 to 15:20 and 15:40 to 20:00 for about 610 stocks, with no ETFs.
- Prices can move at most 30% either way in a day; volatility interruptions and circuit breakers pause trading after sharp moves.
- The market is still closed on December 25 and December 31, 2026. Trades settle two business days later (T+2).
What time does the Korean stock market open and close?
Korea uses KST, which is UTC+9 all year; there is no daylight saving time. The table below shows every session on KRX and Nextrade (NXT), Korea’s alternative trading system, with conversions. New York and London times before midnight fall on the previous calendar day.
| Session | KST | New York (EST / EDT) | London (GMT / BST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nextrade pre-market | 08:00–08:50 | 18:00–18:50 / 19:00–19:50 | 23:00–23:50 / 00:00–00:50 |
| KRX pre-hours trade at previous close | 08:30–08:40 | 18:30–18:40 / 19:30–19:40 | 23:30–23:40 / 00:30–00:40 |
| KRX opening call auction (orders collected) | 08:30–09:00 | 18:30–19:00 / 19:30–20:00 | 23:30–00:00 / 00:30–01:00 |
| KRX continuous trading | 09:00–15:20 | 19:00–01:20 / 20:00–02:20 | 00:00–06:20 / 01:00–07:20 |
| Nextrade main market | 09:00:30–15:20 | 19:00–01:20 / 20:00–02:20 | 00:00–06:20 / 01:00–07:20 |
| KRX closing call auction | 15:20–15:30 | 01:20–01:30 / 02:20–02:30 | 06:20–06:30 / 07:20–07:30 |
| KRX post-hours trade at the day’s close | 15:40–16:00 | 01:40–02:00 / 02:40–03:00 | 06:40–07:00 / 07:40–08:00 |
| Nextrade after-market | 15:40–20:00 | 01:40–06:00 / 02:40–07:00 | 06:40–11:00 / 07:40–12:00 |
| KRX after-market (continuous) | 16:00–20:00 | 02:00–06:00 / 03:00–07:00 | 07:00–11:00 / 08:00–12:00 |
Because only the US and UK change their clocks, the gap to Seoul shifts twice a year. In 2026 UK clocks go back on October 25 and US clocks on November 1; in 2027 the US moves forward on March 14 and the UK on March 28. For the week between October 25 and November 1, 2026, London is on GMT while New York is still on EDT.
How do the KRX trading sessions work?
Opening and closing call auctions
From 08:30 KRX collects orders without matching them, then executes them all at a single price at 09:00. The same happens at the close: orders entered between 15:20 and 15:30 are matched at one closing price at 15:30. This single-price (call auction) method sets the official opening and closing prices, so Nextrade pauses while these auctions run.
Trading at a fixed closing price
Two short sessions let investors trade at a price that is already known. From 08:30 to 08:40 shares change hands at the previous day’s closing price. From 15:40 to 16:00 they trade at that day’s closing price; orders are accepted from 15:30 but not executed until 15:40. You cannot choose a different price in either session.
The KRX after-market (since September 14, 2026)
The after-market replaced the old after-hours single-price session, which matched orders in 10-minute batches between 16:00 and 18:00. Orders now execute continuously, as in the regular session, until 20:00. Combined with Nextrade’s 08:00 pre-market, Korean shares can now be traded for 12 hours a day.
- What trades: most KOSPI and KOSDAQ shares and depositary receipts. ETFs, ETNs, stocks under administrative or investment warning and risk designations, extremely illiquid stocks and stocks that did not trade in that day’s regular session are excluded.
- Order types: limit, best-bid/offer limit and marketable limit orders only (IOC and FOK conditions allowed). Market orders are not accepted.
- Price band: ±30% of the previous day’s close, the same as the regular session. The old after-hours session allowed only ±10% around the day’s close.
- Orders do not carry over: unfilled KRX regular-session orders are cancelled at 15:30, so you must enter them again for the after-market. Orders placed on Nextrade can carry over to its after-market.
- Short selling is allowed, with the same uptick rule as in the regular session (see short selling in Korea).
Is there a KRX pre-market?
Not yet. KRX planned a 07:00 to 07:50 pre-market for September 2026, but in June 2026 it postponed it to the end of 2027. A mock market run from April 6 showed a heavy IT and staffing burden for brokers, and KRX wants to launch it together with a “single board” system that carries unfilled orders from one session to the next.
What is Nextrade and which stocks trade there?
Nextrade is Korea’s first alternative trading system (ATS). It launched on March 4, 2025, ending KRX’s long monopoly on stock trading, and charges lower trading fees than KRX. It does not list companies; it offers a second place to trade shares that are listed on KRX, so prices on the two venues track each other closely.
Nextrade’s pre-market runs 08:00 to 08:50, its main market 09:00:30 to 15:20 and its after-market 15:40 to 20:00, with orders accepted from 15:30. It stops trading while KRX runs its opening and closing auctions. It also runs a closing-price session from 15:30 to 16:00 at the KRX close.
Coverage is capped by regulation. Under the FSCMA (Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act) enforcement decree, an ATS’s average daily volume over six months may not exceed 15% of KRX’s. As trading surged in 2026, Nextrade cut its list from 700 stocks in the first quarter to 650 in February and to 610 from July 1, 2026 (338 KOSPI and 272 KOSDAQ names), dropping stocks such as Kakao and Korean Air. ETFs and ETNs are not traded. The list is reviewed quarterly, so check Nextrade’s website or your broker before relying on extended hours for a particular stock.
Most brokers use smart order routing to send each order to the venue with the better price. If you trade through an overseas broker, check whether it routes to Nextrade at all; our guide on how to buy Korean stocks covers broker access.
When is the Korean stock market closed?
KRX is closed at weekends, on Korean public holidays (Labor Day, May 1, became a statutory public holiday in 2026), on election days and on the year-end closing day, December 31, which moves to the last weekday before it when December 31 falls on a weekend. In 2026 the only closures left after mid-October are Friday, December 25 and Thursday, December 31, so the last trading day of the year is Wednesday, December 30. The full 2026 calendar, the expected 2027 dates and how Nextrade, US-listed ADRs and settlement handle Korean holidays are in Korea stock market holidays 2026.
KRX normally opens one hour late, at 10:00, on the first trading day of the year because of its opening ceremony, as it did on January 2, 2026. The first trading day of 2027 should be Monday, January 4.
Note: On the day of the national university entrance exam (CSAT), KRX shifts trading by one hour. On the 2025 exam day the regular session ran from 10:00 to 16:30 and Nextrade skipped its pre-market. The next exam is on Thursday, November 19, 2026; as of mid-October 2026 we had not seen KRX’s notice for that day, so check your broker’s announcements.
Daily price limits, volatility interruptions and circuit breakers
±30% daily price limit
A stock cannot trade more than 30% above or below its base price, which is normally the previous day’s close (it is adjusted after events such as rights issues or stock splits; see ex-rights and stock splits). The limit has been 30% since June 15, 2015. Leveraged ETFs get a proportionally wider band, for example 60% for a 2x product.
Volatility interruption (VI)
A VI switches a single stock into a two-minute call auction when its price jumps too far, too fast. A dynamic VI is triggered when one order would move the price beyond a set distance from the last trade: 3% for KOSPI 200 stocks and 6% for other stocks in continuous trading and the after-market, and 2% and 4% in the closing auction. A static VI is triggered by a cumulative move of 10% from the reference price (the last single-price auction price). If a VI hits during an auction, the auction is extended.
Circuit breakers and sidecars
Circuit breakers halt the whole market. If KOSPI falls more than 8% from the previous close and stays there for one minute, trading in KOSPI stocks and related derivatives stops for 20 minutes and restarts with a 10-minute single-price auction. A second stage applies at 15% and a third at 20%, each also requiring a further 1% drop from the previous stage; the third stage ends trading for the day. Each stage can fire only once a day, stages one and two cannot fire in the last 40 minutes of the session, and circuit breakers do not apply in the after-market. KOSDAQ has its own circuit breakers based on the KOSDAQ index (see KOSPI vs KOSDAQ).
A sidecar is a lighter brake that only holds program trading. When KOSPI 200 futures move 5% or more for one minute, program buy or sell orders on that side are held for five minutes. KOSDAQ’s sidecar requires KOSDAQ 150 futures to move 6% and the KOSDAQ 150 index 3% at the same time. Sidecars were triggered several times in the volatile summer of 2026, including on August 20.
What are the tick sizes on KRX?
Prices move in fixed steps (ticks) that depend on the share price. The same table applies to KOSPI, KOSDAQ and Nextrade. Orders at prices that do not fit the grid are rejected, and the minimum trading unit is one share.
| Share price (KRW) | Tick size (KRW) |
|---|---|
| Under 2,000 | 1 |
| 2,000 to under 5,000 | 5 |
| 5,000 to under 20,000 | 10 |
| 20,000 to under 50,000 | 50 |
| 50,000 to under 200,000 | 100 |
| 200,000 to under 500,000 | 500 |
| 500,000 and above | 1,000 |
ETFs and ETNs follow their own tick schedule, so check your broker’s order screen before placing a limit order on a fund.
When do trades settle, and when is the FX market open?
KRX trades settle on T+2, two business days after the trade date. Korea is studying a move to T+1, but no start date had been set as of October 2026. Currency conversion is now easier to time: the onshore dollar-won market has traded almost 24 hours a day on weekdays since July 6, 2026. Our buying guide explains how FX works for foreign investors.
What does “short-term overheated” mean?
KRX flags stocks whose price and trading activity jump abnormally. A stock is first given a notice; if, within 10 trading days, its close is at least 130% of its 40-day average close, its two-day average turnover is at least 600% of the 40-day average and its two-day average volatility is at least 150% of the 40-day average (and the price is still rising), it is designated “short-term overheated”. It then trades only in single-price auctions every 30 minutes for three trading days, which can be extended. KRX notices in 2026 state that stocks in the top 100 by market capitalisation can be exempted.
Separately, KRX’s market alert system labels stocks as investment caution, investment warning or investment risk. Warning and risk stocks are excluded from the after-market. Alerts are published on KIND, KRX’s disclosure site; see our ticker and data guide for where to find them, and our foreign investor flows tracker for daily market data.
Frequently asked questions
What time does the Korean stock market open in New York time?
The KRX regular session opens at 09:00 KST, which is 20:00 the previous evening in New York during US daylight saving time and 19:00 in winter. It closes at 15:30 KST, which is 02:30 (EDT) or 01:30 (EST) New York time.
Does the Korean stock market have a lunch break?
No. KRX trades continuously from 09:00 to 15:20 KST, followed by a closing call auction from 15:20 to 15:30.
Can I trade Korean stocks after the 15:30 close?
Yes. KRX runs a closing-price session from 15:40 to 16:00 and, since September 14, 2026, a real-time after-market from 16:00 to 20:00 KST; Nextrade's after-market runs 15:40 to 20:00. ETFs and ETNs are excluded and market orders are not accepted in the after-market.
Is the Korean stock market open on December 31?
No. KRX closes on December 31 every year, so the last trading day of 2026 is Wednesday, December 30. Trading should resume on Monday, January 4, 2027, traditionally with a one-hour delayed open at 10:00.
Does Nextrade trade every Korean stock?
No. Because its volume may not exceed 15% of KRX's, Nextrade limits its list; it covered 610 stocks (338 KOSPI, 272 KOSDAQ) from July 1, 2026 and does not trade ETFs or ETNs. The list is reviewed quarterly.
What happens when a Korean stock hits its daily limit?
It cannot trade more than 30% above or below its base price (usually the previous close) that day, so orders queue at the limit price. Before that, a volatility interruption usually pauses continuous trading for a two-minute auction.
Last reviewed: October 15, 2026.
Sources
- KRX to extend trading hours from Monday, The Korea Herald, September 13, 2026
- KRX after-market rules (English edition), The Financial News, September 3, 2026
- KRX postpones 7 a.m. pre-market to end-2027; after-market in September (in Korean), Korea Financial Times, June 19, 2026
- Trading hours and market features, KRX and NXT (in Korean), Hanwha Investment & Securities, accessed October 2026
- Breaking Korea Exchange’s nearly 70-year monopoly, Nextrade offers extended trading hours, lower commission fees, The Investor (Korea Herald), March 2025
- Nextrade drops 32 stocks for third quarter (in Korean), The Financial News / Yonhap, June 26, 2026
- Volatility Interruption, Korea Exchange, accessed October 2026
- Circuit Breakers in stock market, Korea Exchange, accessed October 2026
- Daily Price Limits, Korea Exchange, accessed October 2026
- Basic Facts about Trading System (tick sizes), Korea Exchange, accessed October 2026
- KRX activates buy-side sidecar for Kospi on sharp rise, Korea JoongAng Daily, August 20, 2026
- 2026 Korean stock market holidays (in Korean), Glasswallet, updated August 26, 2026
- Market opens an hour late on CSAT day; pre-market closed (in Korean), Herald Business, November 12, 2025
- Short-term overheated stock designation notice (in Korean), KRX KIND, April 30, 2026
- Foreign banks caution Korea about rushing into T+1 settlement, The Korea Herald, August 5, 2026
This guide explains how the Korean market works for general information. It is not investment, legal or tax advice; rules change, so check the official sources listed above or a qualified adviser before acting.