 |
| Seoul office of Korea Securities Depository (KDS) in financial district of Yeouido / Korea Times file |
The Korea Securities Depository (KSD) has advised people to think carefully before investing in foreign currency securities.
 |
| Logo of Korea Securities Depository (KSD) |
It said the KSD will keep cooperating with foreign organizations and securities firms, so investors can make safe investments in foreign currency securities.
"When making foreign currency securities investments, the investment process can be delayed due to time differences from country to country and possible intervention of many financial institutions here and abroad," the KSD spokesman said.
"Investors should be clearly aware of the specifics of foreign currency securities investments, and are advised to check their invested asset in real time."
The message of warning came at a time when demand for foreign currency securities is growing at a rapid pace here. Korean investors paid little attention to foreign stocks or securities investments before the COVID-19 pandemic. But investors, particularly those in their 20s and 30s, started making more investments in overseas securities during the pandemic.
Data from the KSD also showed that Korean investors' foreign securities holdings have been on a rapid rise in recent years. Their foreign securities holdings came in at $100.59 billion at the end of 2021. The transaction volume also set a historic high of $490.7 billion in the same year.
Local investors also held a record amount of U.S. stocks with a total value worth $67 billion during the same period, up by more than 80 percent from the previous year, according to KSD data.
The KSD was established in 1974 and is the major securities depository here, delivering a set of securities services ― such as their issuance and distribution.
This article was sponsored by the Korea Securities Depository.
![[INTERVIEW] North Korean-born chef delights Southerners' taste buds, breaks down cultural barriers](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/3a6dc51899d548b990f489b784a0ecd3.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[Analysis] Yoon-Kishida meeting raises expectations of 3-way summit with China](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/f435e5a0dc774045ba9e051c7ea72913.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] 'The Glory' actress Lim Ji-yeon says she wanted everyone to hate her character](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/5dd32010f2884ea980ea246cea8a7d9a.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
