Foreign-owned shares on the main stock market last month reached 32.9% of market capitalization. Shown is the closing price of 4,309.63 of the Korea Composite Stock Price Index, aka KOSPI, displayed on Jan. 2 on a monitor at the dealing room of Woori Bank in Seoul's Jung-gu District. (Yonhap News)

By Aisylu Akhmetzianova

Foreign investors own a third of domestic stocks, the highest level in nearly six years.

The Korea Center for International Finance (KCIF) on Jan. 2 said they purchased shares worth a combined KRW 3.5 trillion as of last month.

Thus foreign-owned shares rose to 32.9% of market capitalization, the highest since April 2020.

By sector, electrical and electronics saw net purchases of KRW 4.5 trillion, surpassing total net buying by foreign investors. SK Hynix accounted for KRW 2.2 trillion and Samsung Electronics KRW 1.4 trillion won.

Foreign bond holdings last month hit KRW 338.3 trillion, up from KRW 329.5 trillion in November.

The balance of short-term bonds with maturities of six months or less jumped KRW 7.9 trillion, while that of bonds maturing in one to five years saw a rise of KRW 8.4 trillion.

The KCIF attributed the inflow of stock funds last month to expectations of improved corporate performance due to higher prices stemming from a shortage of memory semiconductors.

aisylu@korea.kr