A sidecar, which temporarily halts the effectiveness of program sell orders, was triggered after a sharp fall in the KOSPI. It was the first sell-side sidecar this year.

Korea Exchange said on Sunday it triggered a sell sidecar at 12:31 p.m. on the main board after a sharp drop in futures prices.

The measure followed the KOSPI200 near-month futures falling 5.21 percent from the previous close of 771.50 to 731.30, and remaining down more than 5 percent for 1 minute.

After the sidecar was triggered, the effectiveness of program sell orders was suspended for 5 minutes from the trigger time. Net selling by program trading stood at 219.68 billion won at the time of the measure. The measure was lifted automatically 5 minutes after it was triggered.

Under exchange rules, a sidecar is triggered when the price of the KOSPI200 futures contract with the highest trading volume on the previous trading day rises or falls at least 5 percent and the move lasts for 1 minute.

When it is triggered, the effectiveness of program buy or sell orders is suspended for 5 minutes. It applies only once a day and is not triggered during the first 5 minutes after the regular session opens or after 40 minutes before the close.

This sell sidecar was triggered for the first time in 2026. In 2025, a total of 3 sidecars were triggered: 1 buy sidecar and 2 sell sidecars.