Foreign investors have posted a net sale of around 9 trillion won ($6.2 billion) on the main bourse this year through last week, data showed Sunday. Overseas investors have sold a net 9.1 trillion won worth of shares on the main bourse in 2026 as of Friday, compared with a net sale of 4.6 trillion won for all of 2025, according to the Korea Exchange (KRX). In detail, foreigners sold a net 9.5 trillion won worth of shares in Samsung Electronics, with the stock soaring 59 percent this year alone and surpassing the 190,000-won mark for the first time on Thursday. Analysts said foreigners appeared to have sold Seoul shares to cash in recent gains rather than due to a pessimistic view of the Korean stock market. "Foreigners were net sellers on the main bourse this year, but it is hard to say they are betting on a downward trend," Lee Kyoung-min, a researcher at Daishin Securities, said. "Considering that their selling was centered on chipmakers, it appears to be a short-term rebalancing process aimed at reducing the portion of shares that have gained sharply," Lee added. The benchmark Korea Com