No. of firms required to disclose English filings to increase starting May

▲ People are seen cheering inside the dealing room in Woori Bank of central Seoul after the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) surpassed the landmark 5,000 points, in this photo taken Jan. 27, 2026. (Yonhap)

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No. of firms required to disclose English filings to increase starting May

SEOUL, Jan. 28 (Yonhap) -- The number of companies listed on the main Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) stock market required to file key regulatory disclosures in English will more than double starting in May, the main bourse operator said Wednesday.

The move comes after the Financial Services Commission approved such changes at a regular meeting earlier in the day, according to Korea Exchange (KRX).

Beginning in May, companies listed on the benchmark KOSPI with at least 2 trillion won (US$1.4 billion) in assets will be required to provide English-language filings on 55 areas, including shareholder meetings and investment activities.

This will bring the number of companies required to disclose regulatory filing in English from the current 111 to 265.

The move marks the second phase of a three-phase rollout aimed at improving foreign investors' access to domestic companies.

The third-phase, which requires all KOSPI-listed companies to disclose filings in English, will take effect starting March 2027, about one year earlier than the original schedule of May 2028.

Additionally, KOSPI-listed companies whose assets exceed 10 trillion won will be required to disclose a corresponding English-language filing on the day they release a filing in the Korean language, the KRX added.

"For the smooth settlement of such changes, the KRX will strengthen local companies' capabilities to report regulatory disclosures in English, through efforts such as translation support services and training programs," the bourse operator said in a release.

The early adoption of new filing requirements reflects heightened interest in the local stock market from foreign investors. Offshore investors were major net buyers in the local stock market last year, leading a rally that pushed the benchmark KOSPI index up by more than 75 percent.

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