South Korea records $5 billion foreign stock purchase as stablecoin outflows continue

South Korean crypto exchanges reported a net outflow of 560.3 billion won in stablecoins during June, marking the 18th consecutive month of transfers to offshore platforms. Since January 2025, cumulative net stablecoin transfers have reached about 14.9 trillion won, and the June outflow alone equaled 77.6 % of Korean retail investors’ net purchases of foreign shares for the month.

In a contrasting move, foreign investors bought $5 billion worth of South Korean equities in a single transaction, the largest such purchase on record. This follows a period in which foreign investors withdrew roughly $79 billion from Korean stocks and bonds over the first seven months of 2026, a historic outflow that had driven volatility in the KOSPI index.