The Korea Exchange (KRX) is seeking to introduce a 24-hour trading regime by December next year to enhance the competitiveness of Korea’s capital market, in line with global bourses increasingly moving toward round-the-clock trading, according to company officials Friday. As a transitional measure, KRX plans to roll out pre-market and after-hours sessions starting in June, effectively extending daily stock trading hours to 12 hours from the current six hours and 30 minutes. Under the proposed framework, KRX is considering opening a pre-market session from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. and an after-hours session from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. If implemented, trading would begin an hour earlier than at alternative trading system Nextrade, which opens its pre-market session at 8 a.m. “The move is intended to quickly accommodate rising demand from domestic and overseas investors to reflect market developments in the U.S. and Europe in their portfolios at an earlier stage, while also broadening participation in the Korean equity market,” a KRX official said. Currently, NYSE Arca, part of the New York Stock E