The Korea Exchange was created in 2005 by merging South Korea’s KOSPI, KOSDAQ, and futures markets.
The consolidation brought the country’s principal securities and derivatives venues into a single exchange operator. KOSPI remains the name of South Korea’s main stock-market index, while KOSDAQ is a separate market associated particularly with technology and growth companies. Neither index name is the name of the exchange operator itself.
The Korea Exchange is headquartered in Busan, with important operations also connected to Seoul’s financial district. Its market structure includes equities, bonds, exchange-traded funds, derivatives, and other products. The exchange is commonly abbreviated KRX.