South Korea flipped the switch on 24-hour trading of the Korean won against the US dollar on July 6, 2026. It’s the kind of move that sounds mundane until you realize what it actually represents: one of Asia’s largest economies effectively telling the world its currency is open for business at 3 a.m. on a Wednesday.
The new framework allows continuous KRW/USD transactions from roughly 6 a.m. Monday to 6 a.m. Saturday, excluding weekends and January 1. Previously, trading was restricted to weekday hours ending at 2 a.m. That old cutoff meant that while New York was still very much awake and trading, Seoul’s currency market had already gone to bed.
What changed and why it matters
The round-the-clock system eliminates those overnight gaps. If something happens in European or US markets at midnight Seoul time, traders can now respond immediately in the won rather than waiting for the next session to open.
Major banks prepared for this well in advance. Hana Bank expanded its trading desks in both Seoul and London, building out new offshore settlement infrastructure specifically designed for non-resident participation. Trial operations ran throughout June 2026 to stress-test the system before the official launch.
