December Ownership Peaks at 32.9% After November Sell‑off Foreign investors held 32.9% of South Korea’s market capitalization at the end of December, the highest share since April 2020. They bought a net 3.5 trillion won of local equities that month, lifting their stake despite a record‑size outflow in November [1]. The rise coincided with a rally in the benchmark index, which closed the year at 4,214.17 points, up 75.7% from the start of 2025 [1].

November Sets Record Net Foreign Selling of 14.4 Trillion Won In November, foreign investors sold a net 14.4 trillion won of KOSPI shares, eclipsing the previous record of 12.5 trillion won set in March 2020 [2]. The bulk of the outflow came from the electronics sector, with 8.7 trillion won offloaded from SK Hynix and 2.2 trillion won from Samsung Electronics, together accounting for 76% of total foreign selling [2]. This marked a sharp reversal after net foreign buying in September (7.4 trillion won) and October (5.3 trillion won) [2].

Electronics Sector Drives Opposite Flows in Consecutive Months December saw foreigners purchase a net 4.5 trillion won of electronics stocks, including 2.2 trillion won in SK Hynix and 1.4 trillion won in Samsung Electronics, pushing foreign ownership in those firms to 53.8% and 52.3% respectively [1]. By contrast, the November sell‑off removed 8.7 trillion won from SK Hynix and 2.2 trillion won from Samsung, underscoring the sector’s volatility and its central role in foreign trading activity [2]. The divergent month‑to‑month moves reflect shifting expectations around global chip demand and domestic reform policies [1][2].

Domestic Retail Buying Offsets Foreign Outflows in November Korean individual investors bought a net 9.2 trillion won of KOSPI shares in November, the third‑largest monthly net purchase on record, partially cushioning the market after foreign sellers withdrew [2]. The index experienced wide swings, hitting an all‑time high of 4,221.87 points on November 1 before closing at 3,926.59 on November 28 [2]. In December, foreigners also bought 8.8 trillion won of Korean bonds, indicating broader interest beyond equities [1].