Jung Eunbo: "Delisting Zombie Companies Is the Exchange's Top Priority"

Korea Exchange Chairman Jung Eunbo holds press conference on Feb. 5
"Delisting of insolvent listed companies from the stock market will accelerate"
"Delisting criteria will be continuously tightened and related organizations reinforced"
"Productive finance policies will also move forward quickly"

Jeong Eunbo, Chairman of the Korea Exchange, held a New Year's press conference on the afternoon of the 5th at the Korea Exchange's main conference hall in Yeouido, Seoul, and unveiled the exchange's core strategies for a major leap forward in the capital market. Korea Exchange

"We will make delisting insolvent listed companies from the stock market our top priority."

Jung Eunbo, chairman of the Korea Exchange, held a New Year's press conference at the headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on the afternoon of Feb. 5, 2026, and announced the "Core Strategies of the Exchange for a Major Leap Forward in the Capital Market."

Chairman Jung stressed, "We will actively respond to the government's policy of eliminating zombie companies and push ahead, with a strong sense of speed, to prioritize the early delisting of insolvent companies from the stock market," adding, "We will tighten delisting criteria such as market capitalization and sales, and we will strengthen the organizations and personnel in charge of delisting reviews to promptly remove marginal companies."

He said, "To eradicate unfair trading, we will reinforce the cooperative framework of the joint response task force and promote the advancement of our market surveillance system by incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) technologies," adding, "Through these efforts, we will enhance confidence in the capital market."

The Korea Exchange will also actively promote the major shift toward productive finance, which is a core economic policy of the government. Chairman Jung said, "To invigorate venture capital, we will facilitate tailored listings for cutting-edge technologies such as AI and improve both the expertise and speed of reviews for technology companies," adding, "To ensure the timely provision of growth capital, we will swiftly support the introduction of Business Development Companies (BDCs), expand research reports on KOSDAQ-listed companies, and strengthen our incubating functions for unlisted companies."

He added, "We will enhance the expertise and independence of the KOSDAQ Division's organization and workforce, and we also plan to strengthen programs aimed at boosting corporate value, including improvements to disclosure guidelines."

To reinforce the Exchange's global competitiveness, trading hours will also be actively extended. By June 2026, the Exchange plans to introduce a pre-market (7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.) and an after-hours market (4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.) in addition to the regular session (9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.). A 24-hour trading system is also scheduled to be introduced by the end of next year. This is intended as a response to the establishment of 24-hour trading systems at global exchanges such as the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Nasdaq in the United States.

Chairman Jung said, "By opening pre-market and after-hours sessions in the stock market, we will invigorate trading during commuting hours and, step by step, push for the introduction of a 24-hour trading system," adding, "We will pursue 24-hour trading in the derivatives market and a shorter settlement cycle in the stock market, and we will also step up efforts to be included in the MSCI Developed Markets Index by implementing mandatory English disclosures ahead of schedule."

He said, "To secure future growth engines, we will promptly introduce products such as single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that have so far been traded only overseas," adding, "We will also promote the listing of new products such as weekly options and emissions futures."

Chairman Jung said, "Our capital market stands at an inflection point for a major leap forward, and the Korea Exchange will devote all its capabilities to advancing the capital market toward achieving a 'Korea Premium'."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.