The daily trading volume on the South Korean derivatives market dropped nearly 80 percent in 2013 from two years ago, data showed Monday, apparently as global financial woes induced investors to seek safer destinations.

The turnover of derivatives, including futures and options, fell 55.3 percent on-year in 2013 to 821 million contracts, the data compiled by main bourse operator Korea Exchange showed.

Last year's figure marked a near 80 percent drop from 3.9 billion contracts tallied in 2011, the data indicated.

Derivatives are financial products that draw value from other financial instruments such as stocks, bonds, currencies and commodities as well as events.

Options led the recent decline rally, with its trading volume crashing 84.2 percent to 580 million contracts in 2013 from two years earlier. Trading volume of futures shed 42.7 percent over the cited period.

The combined number of contracts in the global derivatives market, in contrast, edged up 0.73 percent to 19.5 billion contracts in 2013 from a year earlier.

The KRX was dragged down to 11th among the members of the World Federation of Exchanges in terms of trading volume last year from No. 1 in 2011.

U.S.-based Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group Inc. topped the list with 3.1 billion contracts last year, trailed by the National Stock Exchange of India with 2.1 billion contracts. Brazil's exchange came in third at 1.5 billion contracts.

South Korea's benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index, or KOSPI, closed at 2,011.34 in the last trading session of last year, down 0.97 percent from Jan. 2, 2013. (Yonhap News)