In brief
In September, foreign investors sold net 19.11 trillion won worth of Korean listed shares—17.45 trillion won on KOSPI and 1.66 trillion won on KOSDAQ—making up two consecutive months of net selling. The sell‑off reduced foreign holdings in Korean equity to 2,296 trillion won, 34.8% of market capitalization. Meanwhile, overseas capital also withdrew from domestic bonds, net selling 7.57 trillion won. The UK led the sell list with 6.9 trillion won, followed by the United States.
According to the Financial Supervisory Service, foreign investors net‑sold 19.11 trillion won of South Korean listed shares in September, the amount they pulled from the market in the previous month. The bulk of the sale—17.45 trillion won—came from KOSPI stocks, with 1.66 trillion won withdrawn from KOSDAQ.
These transactions reduced foreign ownership in Korean equities to 2,296 trillion won, or 34.8% of the country’s total market capitalization, according to the same source.
The sell‑off followed a similar trend in the bond market. Oversized overseas investors net‑sold 7.57 trillion won of local listed bonds, the second straight month of capital outflow, even though they had bought 127.0 billion won of bonds last month.
Country‑level data shows that the United Kingdom led shareholders in the October report, with a net sale of 6.9 trillion won. The United States followed, selling a net 3.9 trillion won.
An independent market snapshot from Arirang TV found that within the last week of September, foreign investors sold an additional 1.37 trillion won of KOSPI firms, yet the index still held its momentum.
For South Korean companies, the continued selling pressure from outside investors signals a shift in global sentiment and suggests that foreign capital is seeking more attractive returns elsewhere.
