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South Korea ends its longest short-selling ban after systemic reforms

South Korea on Monday lifted the longest short-selling ban in the country’s history, after tightening measures to crackdown on illegal transactions.

The short-selling ban was put into place in November 2023 following a series of short-selling breaches that involved numerous global investment banks.

Beginning Monday, short selling on the estimated 2,700 stocks listed on the Korea Exchange will be fully reinstated, according to the country’s Financial Services Commission. Previously, it was only allowed for 350 stocks on the benchmark Kospi and small-cap Kosdaq.

Unlike the country’s previous short-selling bans, the latest ban was largely driven by regulatory reasons and geared at protecting retail investors, industry experts said.

Previous short-selling bans in Korea happened from:

• October 2008 — May 2009 during the global financial crisis
• August 2011 — November 2011 during the Eurozone debt crisis
• March 2020 — May 2021 during the Covid pandemic

Additionally, while earlier bans aimed at stabilizing financial markets, the 2023 measure targeted systemic reforms to improve retail investor accessibility, analysts from Macquarie said.

Penalties for short selling have been significantly strengthened, with the Korea Exchange introducing a system that can detect naked short selling. Naked short selling involves shorting stocks without borrowing them and is illegal in South Korea.

Fines for illicit profits have also been raised, and enforcement measures have been tightened. A profit of 5 billion Korean won ($3.4 million) or more can result in a prison term between five years to life imprisonment.