British investors were the most active traders in South Korean stocks this year, according to data from the Financial Supervisory Service. Foreign investors traded 1,247.7 trillion won ($889 billion) worth of local stocks between January and August.
Britain led all countries with trading volume of 557.4 trillion won, representing 44.7 percent of total foreign trades. The Cayman Islands and Singapore followed with 14.1 percent and 12.1 percent, respectively. Combined, these three countries accounted for 70 percent of all foreign stock transactions.
Asian investors showed minimal activity. Chinese, Hong Kong, and Japanese investors contributed just 0.5 percent, 0.5 percent, and 0.4 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, American investors held the largest value of Korean stocks, worth 367.4 trillion won, or 40.6 percent of total foreign holdings.
South Korean stocks rose past the 3,500 mark in early October, following business partnerships between OpenAI, Samsung Electronics, and SK hynix. The KOSPI gained 93.38 points to close at 3,549.21. Trading volume reached 394.92 million shares worth 18.57 trillion won, with winners significantly outnumbering losers.
