Jung Eun-bo, chairman of the Korea Exchange, laid out a blueprint to open a “KOSPI 5,000 era” for the 2026 new year. He plans to build a 24-hour trading system in stages and push to introduce digital finance products such as cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

At the 2026 securities and derivatives market opening ceremony at the Korea Exchange’s Seoul headquarters in Yeouido on Thursday morning, Jung called this year meaningful as it marks the 70th anniversary of the stock market’s opening. He said South Korea’s capital market must now move beyond the “Korea discount” toward a “premium market.”

Jung assessed last year’s performance by saying the KOSPI set a new milestone by breaking through 4,000 points for the first time despite uncertain domestic and external conditions. The price-to-earnings ratio rose to 17.47 at end-2025 from 11.37 at end-2024, while the price-to-book ratio climbed to 1.59 from 0.88, sharply improving key capital market indicators.

He added that this was the result of the government’s policies to revitalise the capital market along with the efforts of market participants to improve market soundness and protect shareholder value.

The exchange set three key priorities this year with the goal of a KOSPI 5,000 era: building a fair and trusted market, supporting productive finance and strengthening capital market competitiveness.

To build a fair market, it will introduce an artificial intelligence-based surveillance system. Jung said securing investor trust is a basic condition for the development of the capital market. He said it would eradicate unfair trading centred on a joint response team against stock manipulation and strengthen the delisting of weak companies to shore up market trust.

It will also expand support for productive finance to secure future growth engines. The exchange plans to support tailored listings for companies in advanced strategic industries such as AI, energy and aerospace, and strengthen corporate value-up programmes so companies can receive fair evaluations in the market.

Jung also signalled a determination to substantially strengthen capital market competitiveness in line with global trends. He said the exchange would extend trading hours and build a 24-hour trading system in stages to respond to a rapidly changing global competitive environment.

The exchange will also speed up its shift to digital finance. Jung said it would improve trading convenience to attract foreign investors and expand new products such as cryptocurrency ETFs and futures to raise the market’s appeal.