Foreigners own over 30% of listed stocks

More than 30 percent of the stocks in 47 listed companies are owned by foreigners, it has been reported. According to material submitted by the Financial Supervisory Commission to the National Assembly for parliamentary inspection, out of 706 businesses, 47 were found to have over 30 percent of their shares owned by foreigners. In addition, more than 50 percent of their stocks were owned by foreigners as of Aug. 22. The companies include Halla Climate Control (87.7 percent), Samsung Electronics (56.5 percent), Anam Semiconductor (54 percent), Shinhan Bank (51.2 percent), Handok Pharmaceuticals (50.1percent), Housing & Commercial Bank of Korea (65.6 percent) , Kookmin Bank (54.8 percent), Korea Shell Petroleum (52.7 percent) and Good Morning Securities (50.6 percent).

Foreign investors who acquired local stocks favored lines such as machinery (23.9 percent), non-ferrous metals (42.5 percent), banking (39.1 percent), beverages (48.4 percent), electric appliances (46.9 percent), iron and steel (26.3 percent), and chemicals (21.9 percent).

The cash value of these over 258 billion foreign-owned shares amounted to over 81 trillion won on Aug. 22.