FTSE Russell delays adding South Korean bonds to WGBI

SEOUL, April 9 (Reuters) - FTSE Russell will start adding South Korean bonds to its benchmark bond index starting in April of 2026, delayed from November 2025, the index provider said in a statement.

Inclusion will be phased-in over a shorter eight-month period, to be completed with November 2026 index profiles, it said, a decision that was "based on feedback from index stakeholders", it said.

The index provider decided in October to include South Korean sovereign bonds to the FTSE World Government Bond Index after two years on its watch list, which the government said could draw as much as 80 trillion won ($53.84 billion) to its bond market.

Wednesday's statement could be a temporary blow to the won that was one of Asia's worst performing currencies last year and made its sharpest daily decline against the dollar in five years on Monday amid global trade tensions.

"We will closely monitor market conditions and take stabilising measures if volatility heightens excessively," an official at South Korea's finance ministry said.

($1 = 1,485.9900 won)