How to Buy Korean Stocks from Abroad: Brokers, Accounts, FX and Costs

Start here · Guide 1 of 10

Yes, foreigners can buy Korean stocks, and since December 14, 2023 they no longer have to register with Korea’s financial regulator first. In 2026 there are three practical routes: trade shares listed on KRX (Korea Exchange) through a global broker connected by an omnibus account (Interactive Brokers has offered this since May 2026), open your own account at a Korean securities firm as a non-resident, or buy US-listed Korean ADRs and Korea ETFs from the brokerage account you already have.

Can foreigners buy Korean stocks?

Yes. Non-residents can buy shares listed on KRX, which runs the KOSPI main board and the KOSDAQ growth market (see KOSPI vs KOSDAQ). Foreign investors are already a large part of the market: their share of KOSPI market capitalisation was close to 40% in June 2026, according to Korea JoongAng Daily.

There are two caveats. First, a small number of stocks have foreign ownership limits. When the FSC (Financial Services Commission) scrapped investor registration, it kept the power to manage these limits, which at the time covered 33 stocks under a total foreign limit and 2 under individual limits, out of about 2,500 listed companies. Once a foreign limit is full, foreigners cannot buy more of that stock on the exchange. Second, the route you choose decides what you can buy: omnibus accounts currently cover stocks only, not Korean-listed ETFs.

What replaced the foreign investor registration (IRC)?

From 1992 until 2023, foreigners had to obtain an Investment Registration Certificate (IRC) from the FSS (Financial Supervisory Service) before they could open an account. A revised enforcement decree of the FSCMA (Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act) abolished this requirement with effect from December 14, 2023.

Since then, foreign individuals open accounts with their passport number and foreign companies use their LEI. Investors who already held an investor ID can keep using it. In the first six months after the change (December 15, 2023 to June 12, 2024), foreign investors opened 1,432 new accounts at 36 securities firms and banks, compared with an average of 105 IRCs issued per month in 2023, the FSC reported.

Which global brokers offer Korean stocks in 2026?

An omnibus account is a single account that an overseas broker holds in its own name at a Korean securities firm. The overseas broker pools its clients’ orders, so you trade Korean shares in the brokerage app you already use. Under FSC guidelines published in November 2025, the overseas firm opens a custody account with a Korean standing proxy, keeps per-client trade records for 10 years and reports transactions monthly. KSD (Korea Securities Depository) pays dividends to the omnibus holder, which passes them on to clients.

Omnibus accounts were allowed in 2017 but were barely used. Things changed after regulators dropped the requirement to report each end-investor’s trades at settlement (2023), gave a regulatory-sandbox exemption to the first partnerships (2025), and lifted the limit on which overseas firms may open one (January 2026). By mid-May 2026, foreign investors had traded KRW 5.8 trillion through omnibus accounts, with net purchases of KRW 2.2 trillion, according to the financial authorities.

If your broker is not listed, look for “Korea Exchange (KRX)” in its list of markets or ask its support team. We could not confirm Korean market access at other large retail platforms as of October 2026, so treat any claim you see elsewhere with care until the broker confirms it.

Can I open an account at a Korean brokerage as a non-resident?

In principle, yes: a passport is now enough to identify you. In practice, the mobile apps of most Korean brokers are built for residents. They usually verify identity through a Korean Alien Registration Card (ARC) and a Korean mobile number, and expect a Korean bank account for settlement, as Seoul Market Brief noted in July 2026.

Non-residents therefore usually work with a broker’s foreign-client desk and exchange paper documents. Typical requests are a certified passport copy, proof of your overseas address, your home-country tax identification number (needed for treaty withholding rates), a KYC (know-your-customer) questionnaire and a standing proxy agreement. A standing proxy is a Korean bank, securities firm or KSD that handles settlement instructions, corporate notices and tax paperwork for you, while a custodian bank holds the shares. Setting this up can take weeks.

The advantages are the full KRX universe, including Korean-listed ETFs, and local commission rates. The drawbacks are the paperwork, Korean-language interfaces and currency conversion through a Korean bank. Requirements differ between firms, so ask directly whether a broker accepts non-resident individuals, which proxy it uses and whether the account can be opened remotely.

What is the simplest way to invest in Korea?

If you want exposure to Korea rather than a specific small company, instruments listed in the US need no Korean account, trade in US dollars and trade during US hours. Several Korean companies have ADRs (American depositary receipts) on the New York Stock Exchange, including KB Financial Group (KB), Shinhan Financial Group (SHG), Woori Financial Group (WF), POSCO Holdings (PKX), Korea Electric Power (KEP), KT (KT), SK Telecom (SKM) and LG Display (LPL). Samsung Electronics has no US ADR; its global depositary receipts (GDRs) trade in London under SMSN.

Country ETFs such as the iShares MSCI South Korea ETF (EWY) and the Franklin FTSE South Korea ETF (FLKR) trade on NYSE Arca. Expect heavy exposure to memory chips: in September 2026 Samsung Electronics (common and preferred shares) made up 30.0% of KOSPI market value and SK hynix 22.8%, according to KOFIA (Korea Financial Investment Association).

The trade-offs are a limited menu, ADR prices that can drift away from local prices, and ETF premiums or discounts to net asset value. Our guide to Korean stocks in the US has a live table of ADRs and ETFs, and this explainer covers ETF premiums and tracking error.

How does currency conversion work?

Korean shares trade and settle in won. The won is not deliverable offshore: MSCI cited this when it again declined to put Korea on its watch list for developed-market status in June 2026 (see MSCI and Korea). Offshore, the won trades mainly through NDFs (non-deliverable forwards) settled in US dollars, which make up about 80% of won forward trading according to figures cited by the Korea Herald. As a result, the conversion from your currency into won happens onshore, either inside your global broker’s arrangement or through your Korean custodian bank or broker.

The onshore dollar-won market has become much easier to reach. It used to close at 15:30 KST (Korea Standard Time); in July 2024 trading was extended to 02:00 the next morning, and since July 6, 2026 it runs almost 24 hours a day. The Korea Herald reports the window as 07:00 Monday to 07:00 Saturday KST, or 06:00 to 06:00 while New York is on daylight saving time. The market is closed at weekends and on January 1. Trades are allowed on Korean holidays but settle only on bank business days, and won trading against currencies other than the dollar still runs 09:00 to 15:30.

More changes are planned. A roadmap announced on July 19, 2026 says that from January 2027 foreign investors will be able to transact in won through pre-registered foreign firms without opening a won account in Korea, settled through a new 24-hour Bank of Korea network. These are plans and may change. In this guide we use a rate of KRW 1,338 per USD, the Seoul close on October 14, 2026.

When do Korean stock trades settle?

KRX trades settle on T+2: a purchase made on Monday settles on Wednesday if both days are business days. Your broker needs the won (or the foreign currency to convert) in place by then. Korea is studying a move to T+1, but foreign banks told regulators in August 2026 that they need at least 18 months to prepare, and no start date had been set as of October 2026.

What does it cost to buy and sell Korean shares?

• Commission. Set by your broker. Exchange and clearing fees are a tiny fraction of a basis point and are normally built into the commission you see.
• Securities transaction tax (STT), on sales only. From January 1, 2026, KOSPI sales pay 0.05% STT plus a 0.15% special tax for rural development, 0.20% in total. KOSDAQ sales pay 0.20%. Selling KRW 10,000,000 (about USD 7,470) of shares therefore costs KRW 20,000 (about USD 15) in tax.
• Currency conversion. A commission and/or a spread on every conversion. Compare the all-in rate, not just the headline fee.
• Dividend withholding tax. Korea withholds tax on dividends paid to foreign shareholders. A lower treaty rate may apply if you file the paperwork; our taxes guide lists the rates.
• Custody and proxy fees. Mainly for direct accounts with a Korean standing proxy.

How capital gains are taxed depends on the size of your stake and on your country’s tax treaty with Korea. See Korean stock taxes for foreigners for the details.

Step-by-step checklist

1. Choose a route: a US-listed ETF or ADR for broad exposure, a global broker with KRX access for specific stocks, or a Korean brokerage account for the full market.
2. Check that your broker lists KRX (and, if you want longer hours, Nextrade). At Interactive Brokers, existing clients enable KRX market data and trading permissions in Client Portal.
3. Look up the six-character KRX code of each stock, for example 005930 for Samsung Electronics. Our ticker guide explains the formats.
4. If the company is in a restricted sector such as telecoms or utilities, check whether its foreign ownership limit is already full.
5. Fund the account and decide whether to convert to won in advance or let the broker convert at the time of the trade.
6. Place a limit order at a valid tick size during Seoul trading hours. The regular session, 09:00 to 15:30 KST, is 20:00 to 02:30 in New York while US daylight saving time is in force.
7. Expect settlement two business days later and keep records of trades, FX rates and withheld tax for your tax return.

Common pitfalls

• Time zones and sessions. KRX now has an after-market from 16:00 to 20:00 KST, but it excludes ETFs and accepts only limit-type orders. Unfilled regular-session orders expire at 15:30. Full details are in our market hours guide.
• Daily price limits. A stock cannot move more than 30% above or below its base price (usually the previous close) in a day. Sharp moves also trigger a VI (volatility interruption), a two-minute auction.
• Tick sizes. Prices move in fixed steps that depend on the share price, for example KRW 100 for stocks priced from KRW 50,000 to under KRW 200,000. Orders off the grid are rejected.
• Whole shares only. The KRX trading unit is one share, and some share prices are high: SK hynix was above KRW 1.4 million (about USD 1,065) per share in mid-October 2026.
• Not every stock is on Nextrade. Nextrade listed about 610 eligible stocks after its July 2026 review, and no ETFs.
• Holidays. The market is closed on December 25 and December 31, 2026, as well as at weekends.
• Market alerts. Stocks designated “short-term overheated” trade only in single-price auctions every 30 minutes for three trading days.

Frequently asked questions

Last reviewed: October 15, 2026.

Sources

1. Foreign Investor Registration Requirement to be Abolished in Korea, Financial Services Commission, June 5, 2023
2. Market Access Improved for Foreign Investors with Abolishment of Investment Registration Certificates, Financial Services Commission, June 21, 2024
3. Guidelines on Omnibus Account Provided to Facilitate Domestic Stock Investment by Foreign Investors, Financial Services Commission, November 27, 2025
4. Interactive Brokers Launches Access to Korean Equities, Breaking New Ground for Global Investors, Interactive Brokers, May 7, 2026
5. Interactive Brokers Expands Access to Korean Equities with Launch of Nextrade ATS, Business Wire via Nasdaq, June 30, 2026
6. Hana Securities, Futu open Korean stock market access to foreign investors, The Korea Times, July 27, 2026
7. Brokerages race to capture foreign retail investors as they emerge as a force in Korean equities, Korea JoongAng Daily, June 2026
8. Korean brokerages look abroad, court foreign investors for growth, The Korea Times, September 1, 2026
9. Foreign retail investors to trade Korean ETFs directly (in Korean), Money Today, September 26, 2026
10. How to Open a Korean Brokerage Account as a Non-Resident, Seoul Market Brief, July 24, 2026
11. What to know about Korea’s near-24-hour won market, The Korea Herald, July 5, 2026
12. Korea plans to let foreigners trade won without local accounts (Bloomberg), The Edge Malaysia, July 2026
13. Securities Transaction Tax to Rise from January: KOSPI 0.05%, KOSDAQ 0.20%, The Asia Business Daily, December 1, 2025
14. Foreign banks caution Korea about rushing into T+1 settlement, The Korea Herald, August 5, 2026
15. September 2026 market-cap weights of Samsung Electronics and SK hynix (in Korean), Korea Financial Investment Association, October 1, 2026

This guide explains how the Korean market works for general information. It is not investment, legal or tax advice; rules change, so check the official sources listed above or a qualified adviser before acting.