During the first half of this year, foreign investors made record-breaking net purchases of South Korean stocks, totaling over 23 trillion won ($16.6 billion), as reported by the Korea Exchange. This marked the highest level of overseas investment in local shares since data collection began in 1998. The majority of these purchases were for the benchmark Kospi, amounting to 22.42 trillion won, with an additional 606 billion won for the secondary tech-heavy Kosdaq. The top three stocks favored by foreign investors were Samsung Electronics, SK hynix, and Hyundai Motor Company. Conversely, retail investors in South Korea experienced the highest ever net sales of shares, reaching 7.39 trillion won during the same period. While they net bought shares worth 6 trillion won on Kosdaq, they offloaded stocks worth 13.48 trillion won on Kospi. The most sold stocks by retail investors included Hyundai Motor Company, Samsung Electronics, and SK hynix. Analysts predict that foreign investors are likely to continue their net buying streak due to steady growth in Korea's exports, but also note that the recovery of the Kospi may depend on a weakening US dollar, which could potentially occur if the Federal Reserve decides to cut its base interest rate, possibly in September.