The South Korean government announced plans for the 24-hour operation of its foreign exchange(FX) market and an offshore Korean won settlement system.

The Ministry of Economy and Finance announced the plan on Friday as part of efforts to improve foreign access to its capital markets.

Last July, the FX closing time was pushed to 2 a.m. from its previous 3:30 p.m., but trading during U.S. market hours remains limited.

Difficulty trading the Korean won on offshore currency exchanges has been a major obstacle to South Korea’s inclusion in the MSCI World Index. 

The ministry plans to release a comprehensive road map of the 24-hour FX market and offshore Korean won settlement system, which would allow foreign investors to trade the currency more freely and eliminate trading blind spots.