Seoul: Foreign ownership of South Korean shares has plummeted to its lowest level this year in the wake of Donald Trump's presidential reelection, recent data revealed. The holdings by foreign investors in Korean stocks on the main bourse KOSPI accounted for 32.3 percent, equivalent to 637.48 trillion won (US$456 billion), of the market capitalization, which stands at 1,973.51 trillion won as of Friday. According to Yonhap News Agency, the proportion of foreign investors in KOSPI-listed stocks was 32.7 percent at the beginning of the year. This ratio saw a decline to 34 percent in August and 33 percent in September, after a rebound to 36 percent in July. The selling spree by offshore investors intensified following Trump's election victory, as his policy stance is perceived to pose risks to sectors such as chipmakers, automakers, and EV battery manufacturers. Additionally, foreign investors have been reducing their holdings due to the depreciating Korean won against the U.S. dollar, which has reached a two- year low against the greenback. This month, foreigners sold a net 1.87 trillion won worth of stocks on the main bourse. The extensive sell-offs by foreign investors have negatively impacted the Korean stock market, leading to a 5.4 percent drop in the KOSPI this month. Notably, foreigners offloaded 2.74 trillion won worth of Samsung Electronics shares, reducing their stake in the company to 51.72 percent, the lowest in 19 months since April 25 last year, when it was 51.68 percent. The share price of Samsung Electronics reached a four-year low of 49,900 won on Thursday amid concerns over a potential cancellation of chip incentives by the incoming U.S. administration. In response, Samsung announced a 10-trillion won share buyback initiative on Friday to support its stock price. Foreign investors also sold significant stakes in other major companies, including 338 billion won worth of Samsung SDI, 246 billion won of Hyundai Motor, and 73 billion won of Hana Financial this month.