On February 11, 1956, the Korea Stock Exchange was established in Seoul, marking the beginning of the Korean securities industry. However, at that time, the trading activities of the exchange were mainly government bond transactions, and there were very few stock transactions. . Since then, with the economic development, South Korea's capital market has also developed rapidly. In 1963, the Korea Exchange was reorganized into a government-owned non-profit company and renamed the Korea Exchange.

The Korean KOSDAQ market was established in July 1996. The main purpose of establishing the KOSDAQ market is to support high-tech industries, especially small and medium-sized venture enterprises, and to create a direct financing channel for these enterprises. By the end of 2005, KOSDAQ had 917 listed companies with a market value of US$70 billion, an average daily trading volume of US$1.8 billion, and an annual turnover rate of 875%. Its trading activity was second only to NASDAQ among more than 30 new markets in the world. The Korean securities market was developed from the bond market.

In 1956, when the stock exchange opened for the first time, there were only 12 listed companies, and the main types of transactions were treasury bonds. The advancement of the five-year economic development plan and the government's implementation of corporate disclosure policies to effectively support the capital market have enabled South Korea's securities market to take great strides in a short period of time. The stock exchange prioritizes the active circulation of securities and the formation of fair prices, and improves trading methods. The POST transaction system was implemented in 1975, parallel electronic transactions were implemented in 1988, and the computer system was fully implemented in September 1997. Established and improved infrastructure for the automation of securities business, enabling the modernization and technologicalization of stock exchanges. Based on the smooth progress of the settlement business of securities trading and the efficient management and safekeeping of securities, the Securities Alternative Settlement Co., Ltd. (now the Securities Commission Institute) was established in 1974. In order to computerize the securities market, Securities Computer Co., Ltd. was established in 1977. The securities market gradually expanded, and in 1979 it reached the current location - Yeouido. The current small island - Yeouido has become South Korea's important financial treasure island.

In 1992, foreign businessmen began to directly trade freely on the Korean stock market. In 1996, the stock price index futures market was listed, and in 1997, a direct stock price option market was opened, making the Korean stock exchange a truly global stock exchange. exchange. Domestic and foreign investors from more than 60 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan, buy and sell stocks listed on the Korean Stock Exchange through more than 50 member securities companies at home and abroad.