Starting August 19, 2026, South Korea will require first-time investors to complete at least one hour of simulated trading per day over five separate days before placing real orders in single-stock leveraged ETFs and ETNs on the Korea Exchange. This measure follows a 90% collapse in trading volumes for these products, which were introduced in late May 2026. Retail investor losses are estimated in the trillions of won, primarily in products linked to Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. South Korean financial authorities have issued public apologies and already tripled the minimum deposit requirement from 10 million to 30 million won. Proposals to cap individual exposure at 20% of total assets are also under discussion.
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