How to Buy Korean Stocks in 2026: 4 Routes for US, Singapore, UK

There are four routes to Korean stocks from the US, Singapore or the UK. You can open an account with a Korean broker. You can trade Korea Exchange (KRX) shares through a global broker that now connects to Korea, such as Interactive Brokers or, in Singapore, moomoo. You can hold a Korean company’s depositary receipts listed in New York or London. Or you can hold an ETF of Korean shares. The routes differ in what you own, the currency you pay in, when you can trade and what you pay. This guide compares them. It does not rank them.

Won amounts are converted at 1,338.3 won per dollar, the 15:30 Korea time close on October 14, 2026 (Bank of Korea, ECOS).

What changed for foreign investors after 2023?

Until December 13, 2023, a foreigner had to register with Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service before buying listed Korean shares, under a system dating from 1992. The Financial Services Commission (FSC) abolished that step from December 14, 2023. Individuals can now open a broker account with a passport number, and companies with a Legal Entity Identifier.

The same package eased omnibus accounts: one account at a Korean broker that a foreign broker uses for many clients. The foreign broker used to report each client’s trades at settlement, and the accounts went unused. Reporting became monthly.

The first such account for foreign investors opened in August 2025, between Hana Securities and Hong Kong’s Emperor Securities, under a regulatory sandbox, the FSC said. In November 2025 the FSC published guidelines and said it would open these accounts to more foreign firms. The rule change that lets any foreign broker open one took effect in January 2026, the FSC said.

How do I open an account with a Korean broker?

This is route 1. Since December 2023 the rules allow a non-resident to open an account with a passport. Whether a given broker accepts you from abroad is another matter. Samsung Securities’ online sign-up page says foreigners cannot open an account that way; its English page lists the documents a non-resident sends instead, including a passport copy and a standing proxy agreement.

• Currency: you pay in won, so your money is converted in Korea. Since July 6, 2026 the won-dollar market has traded around the clock, according to The Korea Times.
• Costs: the broker’s commission, plus a securities transaction tax on sales: 0.20% of the sale price for KOSPI shares, according to SK hynix’s US prospectus (Form 424B4). KOSDAQ shares carry the same 0.20% from 2026, according to EY.
• Hours: the KRX regular session runs 09:00 to 15:30 Korea time. That is 08:00 to 14:30 in Singapore. In New York it is 20:00 to 02:30 the evening before (19:00 to 01:30 from November 1). In London it is 01:00 to 07:30 (00:00 to 06:30 from October 25). Since September 14, 2026 the Korea Exchange has also run a 16:00 to 20:00 after-hours session, according to The Korea Times. ETFs are excluded from it at first, the same report said. Nextrade, Korea’s alternative venue, trades about 650 stocks from 08:00 to 20:00 Korea time, according to Interactive Brokers.
• What you own: shares in an account in your own name.

How do global brokers give access to the Korea Exchange?

This is route 2. Your existing broker trades in Korea for you, often through an omnibus account at a Korean firm. Under the FSC’s guidelines, the account holder receives dividends in one lump and pays them on to clients, and it can collect clients’ voting instructions. You hold a claim through your broker rather than shares in your own name in Korea.

Interactive Brokers launched KRX shares on May 7, 2026, with more than 2,700 listed securities. Its press release lists clients in the US, Canada, the UK, Europe, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia, and excludes residents of Korea. On June 30 it added Nextrade, routing each order to the venue with the better price.

• Currency: a multi-currency account; the release says FX conversion commissions are as low as 0.002% of the trade value.
• Costs: its US price list charges 0.06% of trade value for monthly trading up to 2.25 billion won, with a 4,000 won (about US$2.99) minimum per order, plus exchange, clearing and regulatory fees. Its UK and Singapore sites show the same Korean rates.
• What you own: shares held for you by Interactive Brokers, through an omnibus account at Samsung Securities, according to The Korea Herald.

Moomoo Singapore offers Korean shares in its app. Futu, moomoo’s parent, announced Korean trading in July 2026. Hana Securities opened its omnibus service to all Futu clients on July 24 after a pilot from June, according to The Korea Times. Moomoo does not name the Korean firm that handles its orders.

• Who: moomoo says eligible new Singapore accounts get Korean trading automatically. It covers KOSPI and KOSDAQ index constituents. Futu’s own timeline lists the Korean launch for Hong Kong and Singapore only.
• Currency: prices and settlement are in won. Moomoo SG converts between US dollars and won only, automatically if your won balance runs short.
• Costs: moomoo SG’s fee page lists a commission of 0.08% of the trade value (at least 2,000 won), a platform fee of 3,000 won an order, 9% GST on both, and the 0.20% transaction tax on sales.
• Hours (Singapore time): opening auction 07:30 to 08:00, continuous trading 08:00 to 14:20, closing auction 14:20 to 14:30.

For US investors, Hana plans a similar service with Wedbush Securities, according to The Korea Times. That is a plan, not a live service.

Which Korean companies are listed in New York or London?

This is route 3, and it covers only a handful of companies.

• SK hynix has American Depositary Shares on Nasdaq under the ticker SKHY. Each represents one-tenth of a common share, with Citibank as depositary, according to the company’s SEC filings. Our SKHY guide compares them with the Seoul shares.
• Samsung Electronics has global depositary receipts on the London Stock Exchange: SMSN for common shares and SMSD for preferred shares. Our Samsung guide compares them with the Seoul shares and with ETFs.
• Other Korean companies with ADRs on the New York Stock Exchange include KB Financial (KB), Shinhan Financial (SHG), Woori Financial (WF), POSCO Holdings (PKX), KEPCO (KEP), KT (KT), SK Telecom (SKM) and LG Display (LPL), according to their annual reports filed with the SEC.

Currency: US dollars, but the price tracks the Korean shares and the won. Hours: Nasdaq trades 09:30 to 16:00 New York time, which is 21:30 to 04:00 in Singapore (22:30 to 05:00 from November 1) and usually 14:30 to 21:00 in London. The London market trades 08:00 to 16:30 UK time, which is 15:00 to 23:30 in Singapore (16:00 to 00:30 from October 25). Neither overlaps the Seoul regular session. What you own: a receipt issued by a depositary bank, backed by shares held in Korea. Depositary banks can charge fees: for SKHY, up to US$0.05 per ADS on cash dividends, according to SK hynix’s prospectus.

Which Korea ETFs trade outside Korea?

This is route 4. You own units of a fund, not shares of a company.

• US: the iShares MSCI South Korea ETF (EWY) trades on NYSE Arca. It tracks the MSCI Korea 25/50 index, had 78 holdings on October 13, 2026 and charges 0.59% a year, according to BlackRock.
• UK: London-listed UCITS funds exist, such as the iShares MSCI Korea UCITS ETF (IKOR), which trades in pence. US-listed funds such as EWY are harder to reach: an overseas fund can be marketed to UK retail investors only if it is a recognized scheme, and the Financial Conduct Authority says no US fund currently is. Ask your broker what it offers.
• Singapore: the iFAST Xtrackers MSCI Korea UCITS Index ETF (KOR) is expected to begin trading on SGX on October 22, 2026, according to iFAST’s notice to the exchange. Singapore investors can also use US- or London-listed funds, or Korean-listed ETFs through route 2.

A fund does not mirror the KOSPI. Samsung Electronics and SK hynix made up 52.4% of our KOSPI 200 market map by market value on October 13. In EWY, which follows a capped index, they were 22.81% and 22.69% of the fund that day, 45.5% together. The heatmap guide explains why their weight matters.

How are the four routes taxed?

The rules differ by your country of residence and by route. Two Korean rules apply widely, according to SK hynix’s US prospectus (Form 424B4):

• Dividends: Korea withholds 22% of dividends paid to non-residents, including local income tax, unless a tax treaty lowers the rate. For individual portfolio investors the treaty rate is 15% for residents of Singapore and the UK and 16.5% for US residents, whose treaty leaves out Korea’s local income tax, according to PwC and Korea’s National Tax Service.
• Sales: selling KOSPI shares carries a 0.20% securities transaction tax. KOSDAQ shares carry the same rate from 2026, according to EY.

For everything else, check the official guidance of your own tax authority and of Korea’s National Tax Service.

How do the four routes compare?

• Korean broker: shares in your own name, in won, during Seoul hours, if a broker accepts you from abroad.
• Global broker: the same Korean shares in an existing account, in won, converted by the broker. Interactive Brokers covers the US, Singapore and the UK; moomoo covers Singapore.
• ADRs and GDRs: dollars and New York or London hours, but only a few companies.
• ETFs: one trade for a basket, in dollars or pounds, with a yearly fee and an index that may not match the KOSPI.

Whichever route you use, the Korean shares react to the same flows. Our guide to how foreign investors move the KOSPI shows where to follow them each day.