Foreign investors have recorded a net sale of approximately 9 trillion won ($6.2 billion) on the main bourse in South Korea this year up to last week, as per data disclosed on Sunday. Specifically, overseas investors have sold shares worth 9.1 trillion won on the main bourse in 2026 so far, compared to a net sale of 4.6 trillion won for the entire 2025, according to the Korea Exchange (KRX).
Foreigners have sold shares worth 9.5 trillion won in Samsung Electronics Co., with the stock surging by 59 percent this year and crossing the 190,000-won mark for the first time on Thursday, reports Yonhap news agency. Analysts suggest that foreign investors seem to have sold Seoul shares to capitalize on recent profits rather than due to a negative outlook on the South Korean stock market.
Lee Kyoung-min, a researcher at Daishin Securities Co., mentioned, “Foreigners were net sellers on the main bourse this year, but it is hard to say they are betting on a downward trend.” He added, “Considering that their selling was focused on chipmakers, it seems to be a short-term rebalancing process aimed at reducing the portion of shares that have surged significantly.”
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) surged by 131.28 points, or 2.31 percent, on Friday, closing at a record high of 5,803.53. Meanwhile, financial authorities are considering measures to restrict loan extensions for owners of multiple homes in regulated areas of the greater Seoul region to cool down the overheated real estate market, sources revealed on Sunday.
The Financial Services Commission plans to convene a meeting on Tuesday with the country’s five major banks and financial cooperatives to discuss strategies for reforming loan extension practices for owners of multiple homes. This initiative follows the government’s announcement that an exemption of heavy capital gains tax for owners of multiple homes will end in May. While the government currently imposes strict mortgage lending limits for home purchases in the greater Seoul area, some owners of multiple homes have managed to extend existing loans through refinancing, raising concerns about the fairness of the system.
