Korean stock market hours, holidays, price limits and tick sizes

Since March 2025 an alternative trading venue, Nextrade, also trades many large Korean stocks with longer hours (roughly 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.). Whether you can use it depends on your broker.

• 8:30–9:00: orders are collected for the opening auction (one price for all matched orders at 9:00).
• 9:00–15:20: continuous trading.
• 15:20–15:30: closing auction (orders matched at one closing price).
• 15:40–16:00: after-hours trading at the day's closing price.
• 16:00–18:00: after-hours single-price trading, matched every 10 minutes within ±10% of the close.

• The first trading day of the year opens an hour late, at 10:00.
• On the day of the national university entrance exam (Suneung, in November) the market opens at 10:00 and closes at 16:30.
• The market is closed on December 31.

The exchange closes on weekends and Korean public holidays, including New Year's Day, Seollal (Lunar New Year, three days), Independence Movement Day (1 March), Labour Day (1 May), Children's Day (5 May), Buddha's Birthday, Memorial Day (6 June), Liberation Day (15 August), Chuseok (three days), National Foundation Day (3 October), Hangul Day (9 October), Christmas Day and election days. Lunar holidays move every year, so check the exchange's calendar.

A stock can rise or fall at most 30% from the previous day's close in one day. Hitting the upper limit is called 상한가 (sanghanga), the lower limit 하한가 (hahanga). New listings follow different rules on their first day.

If the KOSPI or KOSDAQ index falls 8% from the previous close for one minute, trading stops for 20 minutes; at 15% it stops again for 20 minutes; at 20% trading ends for the day. A 'sidecar' pauses computer program trading for five minutes when index futures move sharply.

Prices move in steps that depend on the price (the same on KOSPI and KOSDAQ since 2023):

• 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 up: ₩1,000

Trades settle two business days later (T+2). This matters for dividends: to be on the shareholder list on a record date you must buy at least two business days before it.