PANews reported on January 2 that according to the Financial Times, South Korean retail investors are flocking to the US stock market, betting that US stocks will continue to rise during Trump's second term as US president, while being frustrated by the poor performance of the South Korean stock market over the years. According to data from the Korea Securities Depository, South Korean investors held a record $112.1 billion in US stocks by the end of 2024, a year-on-year increase of 65%. This is in stark contrast to their net selling of 5.4 trillion won (about $3.6 billion) worth of South Korean KOSPI index stocks in the same year. Tesla is the most popular overseas stock held by South Korean investors. As of last month, South Korean individual investors held a total of $24.5 billion worth of Tesla shares, followed by Nvidia ($12.1 billion), Apple ($4.9 billion) and Microsoft ($3.2 billion). "This shift highlights their disappointment with the local stock market due to poor shareholder returns," said Namuh Rhee, head of the Korea Corporate Governance Forum. "Unless something dramatic happens, this trend is likely to continue."