Seoul: The total number of sidecars, or temporary halts in program trading, issued so far this year in the benchmark KOSPI market has already come to the second-largest annual figure, data showed Tuesday. A total of 10 sidecars have been issued as of Monday in the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) market, according to the data from the Korea Exchange (KRX).

According to Yonhap News Agency, this marks the second-largest annual tally for such measures, surpassed only by 2008, when the KRX issued 26 sidecars during the global financial crisis. The data from the bourse operator highlights the increased volatility in the market, prompting more frequent use of this measure.

Under a sidecar, all program trading is suspended for five minutes. The measure is triggered when the KOSPI 200 future index either jumps or dips by more than 5 percent for at least one minute, a criterion that has been in place since 2001.

South Korea's stock market has experienced extreme volatility in 2026 due to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East and the depreciation of the won. Some investors are beginning to view sidecars as the "new normal." After witnessing over a 75 percent rise last year, driven by the semiconductor sector, the benchmark index saw a dramatic 12 percent plunge on March 4, followed by a surge of over 9 percent the next session, only to decline again by nearly 6 percent the subsequent week.