In brief
Xinhua, citing the Financial Supervisory Service, said foreigners sold a net 19.11 trillion won of Korean stocks in September, taking 34.8 % of the market cap. The sell‑off was concentrated on the KOSPI and also hit the KOSDAQ. Meanwhile, foreign capital withdrew 7.57 trillion won from the domestic bond market while buying 127 billion won of listed bonds.
Xinhua reported on October 30 that foreign investors liquidated a net 19.11 trillion won of South Korean shares in September, a move that pushed overseas holdings to 34.8 % of the market capitalization. According to data released by the Financial Supervisory Service, the sell‑off was heavily concentrated on the KOSPI, where foreigners net sold 17.45 trillion won, and on the HPA‑negotiated KOSDAQ, where 1.66 trillion won of shares were sold.
Foreign ownership of Korean stocks totaled 2,296.0 trillion won at the end of September. The figure represents the largest proportion of foreign-held equity on the Korean market in recent months.
Bond Market Outflows Continue
Foreign capital also pulled out of the domestic bond market for a second consecutive month. While overseas investors bought a net 127.0 billion won worth of listed bonds last month, the overall net disinvestment reached 7.57 trillion won, driven by maturing debts of 7.70 trillion won. At the end of September, foreign holdings of listed bonds were 322.9 trillion won, accounting for 11.2 % of all bonds.
The sustained sell‑off in both equity and bond segments reflects continued caution among overseas investors toward South Korea’s financial markets. No official statement from the Korean government has been issued to explain the data, and market analysts are awaiting further commentary from the FSS.
